Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on November 26, 2024.
Disclaimer: We were hosted for this experience. Our site uses demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links. Please check out our Terms and Conditions. Pricing, operating hours, or menus may have changed since our initial visit and may not be reflected in subsequent updates. Please confirm these directly with any business or attraction prior to visiting.
The Pittsburgh Glass Center has been a hub for all things glass art and glassmaking in Friendship for several decades now, and in 2024 the facility recently upgraded its facilities in a beautiful expansion.
While you may be familiar with this one for its numerous glassmaking classes on offer, this one has come together to be a facility that is three spaces in one. One part museum, one part artist space, and, of course, one part for glass classes for the public!
So be sure to plan an afternoon visiting this one to check out their museum-caliber exhibits, tour the facility, and take a class!
What You Can See at the Pittsburgh Glass Center
The Pittsburgh Glass Center is, in a way, like three unique facilities in one.
First, there is the museum element. Visitors to the glass museum can go on a free (donation suggested), self-guided tour of the facilities where you can check out museum-quality exhibits and learn about all of the different glassmaking techniques that the facility’s resident artisans make.
On the exhibit side, the museum has a dedicated showroom with themed glass shows that change several times throughout the year- making for a great reason to return to the museum many times over.
Second, is the glassmaking spaces themselves. For artists, the space has numerous areas to rent out and make glass-based art. But for non-artists like ourselves, we can still take a peek at these interesting spots on the self-guided tour as most of the facility is open to visit and appreciate seeing glass art being made first-hand.
While it often feels like other facilities would separate the artist spaces from public ones, the Pittsburgh Glass Center does a great job blending the two to give guests a look into all areas of glassmaking.
Finally, there are the classes and events. We will get to the classes in a moment, but on the event side, the Pittsburgh Glass Center schedules many demonstrations throughout the year and even has special programming during Unblurred– the first Friday event in Friendship and Garfield every month!
So while you really can get a full appreciation for all things glassmaking simply by visiting for the self-guided tour, adding a class will round out your experience and take a visit to a whole new level!
Schedule a Class to Get the Full Experience
The Pittsburgh Glass Center has an exceptionally strong programming of glassmaking classes ranging from introductory designs for beginners to student programs and even multi-week intensive study for those getting serious into glassmaking. (Seriously, check out the impressive schedule.)
While many classes are, naturally, scheduled in advance, one cool part of the museum is they offer Make It Now classes on Friday to Sundays, first come first served (limited availability each day) where guests can learn techniques for popular glass items like a paperweight or ornament for an additional fee.
- Note: Glass products can take a day or more to finish as part of the cooling process, so you’ll need to return to the center to pick up your final product at a later date in many cases.
This one is rather interesting as many glass facilities we have been to around the country have limited, if any, drop-in classes- making this one a real treat. They also have regular Gather and Brew classes where you can enjoy beer from a local Pittsburgh brewery while learning about glassmaking and making an alcohol-related glass product like a beer glass or bottle stopper.
During my visit, I tried my hand at blowing a glass ornament like you can try in a Make it Now class with the careful instruction (and major handholding) of a skilled instructor.
This one was demo-heavy, where I got to try simple activities like rolling the molten blob of glass to distribute my chosen colors and, of course, blowing the bulb to size. During this hands-on demo, I also got to ask a million questions to my instructor about technique, how glassmaking works, their favorite pieces to make, and more.
And between us, the final product was pretty stunning, too.
While my hands-on portion of this demo was minimal, it did make me much more interested in signing up for glassmaking classes at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and I am even considering a multi-week program, too- it is just that fun.
So whether you visit just for the tour or the museum elements of the Glass Center or stay for a class or demo, there really is a lot to love about the Pittsburgh Glass Center!
Pittsburgh Glass Center is located at 5472 Penn Avenue in Friendship. I was invited in by the Glass Center to tour the facility and try glassmaking for this review. As always, all opinions are my own.
