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Educator Open House
Craft and Cocktails: Shake, Stir, Sip, and Swizzle! Make-It-Now Glass Swizzle Stick
Join us for a fun evening of creativity and flavor with a one-of-a-kind cocktail and glass making experience at Pittsburgh Glass Center.
This immersive experience goes beyond your average mixology class. It’s perfect for cocktail lovers, mocktail enthusiasts, or anyone looking to elevate their happy hour with hands-on artistry.
Your experience includes:
- A complimentary blown glass from PGC’s own Penn/Fairmount line of glassware line — yours to sip from and take home.
- A guided cocktail making lesson led by Banter Brother Mobile Bartending, where you’ll learn to make one of three delicious cocktail or mocktail options.
- A 20-minute Make-It-Now swizzle stick session in the flame shop, where you’ll design and craft your own custom glass stirrer to pair perfectly with your signature drink.
- Soak in the lively ambiance with tasty light snacks and captivating live glassblowing demonstrations happening all night long.
Whether you’re flying solo or coming with friends, this is more than just a class. It’s an experience that blends artistry, hands-on fun, and great taste. Cheers to that!
If you register for a later glassmaking slot, we suggest arriving early to enjoy all this event has to offer.
Make-It-Now experiences offer a quick hands-on introduction to the magic of glassmaking. In the flame shop, you’ll work one-on-one with a skilled local artist at a 3,000° tabletop torch. In about 20 minutes or less, you’ll work together to heat, shape, color, and craft your glass item. Perfect for beginners, these short experiences give a taste of the excitement, skill, and artistry that goes into working with glass in a supportive, guided setting.
Ages 21+
Guests under 21 not permitted.
Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the flame shop must go through an annealing process to slowly cool the glass. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.
Make-It-Now: Spooky Suncatcher
Get ready for spooky season! In this fun and festive fused glass experience, you’ll use colorful glass granules (frit) and thin glass rods (stringers) to design and make your own spooky suncatcher. Create ghostly shapes, glowing moons, witches, bats, spooky spiders, or other designs that come alive in the light. Once your design is complete, we’ll fire it in the kiln so all the pieces fuse together into a finished suncatcher ready to display. Create a handcrafted suncatcher that captures the magic, mood, and glow of spooky season.
Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the kiln shop must go through an annealing process to slowly cool the glass. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.
Ages 5+ Adult supervision is required for any children under 14 years old.
Make-It-Now: Blown Glass Pumpkin - Oct 9
Feel the heat of the hot shop as you shape molten glass into a one-of-a-kind blown glass pumpkin. In this quick and exciting hot shop experience, you’ll work closely with a skilled artist to blow and shape glass from our 2,100°F furnace into a festive pumpkin perfect for celebrating autumn or brightening your space year-round.
Make-It-Now experiences offer a quick hands-on introduction to the magic of glassmaking. In the hot shop, you’ll work one-on-one with a skilled local artist at the 2,100°F furnace. In about 15 minutes or less, you’ll work together to shape, color, and craft your glass item. Perfect for beginners, these short experiences offer a taste of the excitement, skill, and artistry that goes into working with glass in a supportive, guided setting.
Ages 5+.
Adult supervision is required for any participants under 14 years old.
Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the hot shop must go through an annealing process to slowly cool the glass. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.
Make-It-Now: Silly Straw
Fire up the torch, shape molten glass, and put a playful twist on an everyday classic. In this quick and exciting flameworking experience, you’ll work closely with a skilled artist to heat and bend molten glass into a whimsical, one-of-a-kind silly straw using a 3,000°F torch. Twist and curl your design into a loop, spiral, or squiggle that are as fun to look at as they are to use.
Make-It-Now experiences offer a quick hands-on introduction to the magic of glassmaking. In the flame shop, you’ll work one-on-one with a skilled local artist at a 3,000° tabletop torch. In about 20 minutes or less, you’ll work together to heat, shape, color, and craft your glass item. Perfect for beginners, these short experiences give a taste of the excitement, skill, and artistry that goes into working with glass in a supportive, guided setting.
Ages 14+
Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the flame shop must go through an annealing process to slowly cool the glass. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.
Make-It-Now: Trick or Treat! Flameworked Glass Candy
Trick or treat? In this quick and exciting flame shop experience, you’ll work closely with a skilled artist to gather and shape molten glass into whimsical glass candy using a 3,000°F torch. Finish it with a magnet or glass loop to make an ornament or pendant, or leave it as a fun and festive sculpture.
Make-It-Now experiences offer a quick hands-on introduction to the magic of glassmaking. In the flame shop, you’ll work one-on-one with a skilled local artist at a 3,000° tabletop torch. In about 20 minutes or less, you’ll work together to heat, shape, color, and craft your glass item. Perfect for beginners, these short experiences give a taste of the excitement, skill, and artistry that goes into working with glass in a supportive, guided setting.
Ages 8+ Adult supervision is required for any children under 14 years old.
Make-It-Now: Blown Glass Pumpkin - Oct 17
Feel the heat of the hot shop as you shape molten glass into a one-of-a-kind blown glass pumpkin. In this quick and exciting hot shop experience, you’ll work closely with a skilled artist to blow and shape glass from our 2,100°F furnace into a festive pumpkin perfect for celebrating autumn or brightening your space year-round.
Make-It-Now experiences offer a quick hands-on introduction to the magic of glassmaking. In the hot shop, you’ll work one-on-one with a skilled local artist at the 2,100°F furnace. In about 15 minutes or less, you’ll work together to shape, color, and craft your glass item. Perfect for beginners, these short experiences offer a taste of the excitement, skill, and artistry that goes into working with glass in a supportive, guided setting.
Ages 5+.
We require adult supervision for any participants under 14 years old.
Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the hot shop must go through an annealing process to slowly cool the glass. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.
Make-It-A-Date: Fused Charcuterie Plate - Oct 23
Cozy up with your date in the kiln shop for an evening of creativity, color, and connection. This special date night invites couples to collaborate on a single glass artwork, learning the beauty (and teamwork!) that goes into crafting glass by hand. It’s the ultimate compatibility test: can you fuse your ideas as seamlessly as your glass?
Together, you’ll design and assemble a one-of-a-kind fused glass charcuterie plate using glass glass granules (frit), and thin glass rods (stringers). Once it is finished and fired it will be perfect for serving your favorite snacks, crackers, and cheese.
After your hands-on studio time, kick back on the patio with a glass of wine or beer and some tasty bites, let the live music set the mood as you wander the gallery, and be wowed by glassblowing and flameworking demonstrations happening throughout the evening. If you register for a later glassmaking slot, we suggest arriving early to enjoy all this event has to offer.
Each couple makes 1 charcuterie plate together.
Make-It-Now experiences offer a quick, hands-on introduction to the colorful world of kilnformed glass. In the kiln shop, you’ll learn from a skilled local artist how to design and assemble your own glass creation using glass frit and stringers. In less than an hour, explore how layers of glass come together to form vibrant patterns and images of your own design. Perfect for beginners, these quick experiences let you discover the beauty of working with glass at your own pace and with no heat.
Ages 21+
Guests under 21 not permitted.
Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the kiln shop must be heated and fused in the kiln, then cooled slowly. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.