Earlier this month, artist Ethan Samaha turned his two newly installed neon sculptures “on” for the public. The sculptures, located on both the 2nd and 3rd floor stairwells, were commissioned by Pittsburgh Glass Center as part of our recent expansion.
Samaha chose these two spots for his sculptures—OVA-CIR is located on the bulkhead of the 2nd floor stairwell, and Flatpack n.1 is hanging from the ceiling of the 3rd floor—to complement the industrial architecture of the PGC building. These “weird” locations allow the light in his sculptures to explore the unique space, as well as create multiple viewpoints as you walk up the stairs and around.
Samaha is a Pittsburgh-born, Virginia-based artist who is very familiar with PGC. He completed a residency here in 2023, creating neon tubing in non-commercially available colors. He first found his interest in neon in college studying under Sarah Blood, a professor of glass and neon at Alfred University.
As a contemporary neon artist, Samaha wants to bring the material out of its historical connotations. The use of neon as roadside signage was extremely popular from the 1930s-1960s and was mostly a trade craft. Samaha is more interested in looking at light as a material—how it moves through a space, how different colors interact, and how it can tell a story theatrically rather than through branding. He also, in delineating the art from the trade, is focused on the presentation of his work. It is of utmost importance to him to make sure anything visible, from screws to wires, “looks sexy.”
Samaha finds a childlike wonder within neon, and is excited by the new addition of neon, plasma, and light classes at PGC. He also sees the benefit of having this art form in a public space. “Maybe [you’ve] seen it driving down the road, but [have] never really known what it is,” he says, “having it in a public space where you can enter any time you want…and not feeling the pressure of going to an art gallery…is cool.”
The new neon and plasma studio and mobile Light Lab at PGC are up and running, but keep an eye out for Neon 101: Introduction to Neon and Lightning in Any Bottle, two new 8-week classes coming in January. Samaha’s sculptures are permanently on display in the new PGC expansion, and available to view during our open hours. You can find more work by Ethan Samaha on his website, www.ethansamaha.com, and follow him on Instagram at @ethan_samaha.
By Leighton Curless, Pittsburgh Glass Center intern
