Bring Glass Experiences to Your Location
Explore our opportunities to bring glass into your classroom, afterschool program, or community. We provide all the supplies, tools, and expert teaching artists to engage students of all ages in hands-on glass art making. Programs connect students to glass and relevant topics such as science, art, or history while focusing on 21st century skills prevalent in glass artistry: critical thinking, creativity, flexibility, collaboration, empathy, and creating community. Programs are designed to be flexible and appropriate for ages 5 and up and adaptable for all abilities.
Multi-Class Residencies
- Age: 5 and up
- Group Size: 6–60 students
- Program Length: 2 sessions through full semester
- Program Cost: $35+ per student
Bring glass artists into your classroom or after school program to create various fusing, mosaic, and enameling projects or a large-scale collaborative piece in this multi-week-in depth glass making experience for students. Teaching artists will guide students through every project. Students learn about science and glass properties, how to safely cut glass, and the basics of design. Students gain experience with the glass art making processes like mosaic making, fusing, using frit and stringers, and can experiment with glass sculpting techniques.
Multi-Visit Glass can be adapted to fit your program goals, are customizable for students aged 5 and up, and can range from a few sessions to up to a semester, depending on needs and availability. Program should be scheduled at least 4 weeks in advance. Program Cost: starting at $35 per student per session.
Single Visit Glass Class
- Age: 5 and up
- Group Size: 6–60 students
- Program Length: 1–2 hours
- Program Cost: $35+ per student
Bring glass artists into your classroom or after school program for a single hands-on glass making class. Expert teaching artists will guide participants through the process from design to production.
Choose from mosaic making and glass fusing.
Single Visit Glass Classes can be adapted for students aged 5 and up and should be scheduled at least 4 weeks in advance. Program cost: starting from $35 per student.
Mosaic Making
Learn the centuries old art form of mosaic making and create your own mosaic artwork with beautiful glass pieces. Students will learn the basics of mosaic technique, design, layout, and grouting. Choose from a variety of our different shapes for a unique, one of kind artwork.
Glass Fusing
Learn about glass properties and the science of glass while working with cold glass that needs to be fused and fired in the kiln. Students will work with colored glass stringers (small rods of glass) and frit (small granules of glass) to design a unique and luminous suncatcher while learning the basics of design, layout, and properties of glass. All fused projects require kiln firing.
Neon + Plasma Demonstrations
The Light Lab is a mobile neon and plasma demonstration station that can be brought to your location. PGC neon expert Percy Echols II is a Pittsburgh-based artist, alchemist, and educator who pioneered the development of the Light Lab. He developed the program to shine a light on the artistic and scientific application of electrified gasses.
To schedule, please reach out to our Groups and Events Coordinator, Rachael Strittmatter, at scheduling@pittsburghglasscenter.org.
Flameworking Demonstrations
Glass artists will bring a mobile flameworking demonstration station to your location. Our team of extensively trained artists show different techniques and create unique flameworked items such as marbles, small sculptures, or jewelry using a tabletop torch, creating an unforgettable experience.
To schedule, please reach out to our Groups and Events Coordinator, Rachael Strittmatter, at scheduling@pittsburghglasscenter.org.
Hot Wheels Mobile Furnace
Hot Wheels is Pittsburgh Glass Center’s outreach vehicle that allows furnace-fired fun and glassblowing demonstrations to travel far beyond the walls of our Penn Avenue building.
This compact traveling glass studio is complete with all the state-of-the-art equipment needed to conduct glassblowing demonstrations, and it allows our glass artists to pop up all over town so they can manipulate molten magma into fiery works of art almost anywhere.
To bring Hot Wheels demonstrations to your school, please reach out to our Groups and Events Coordinator, Rachael Strittmatter, at scheduling@pittsburghglasscenter.org.
