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Pittsburgh Glass Center

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Introduction to Beadmaking
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Introduction to Beadmaking

$230 MEMBER PRICE: $230

Fascinated by the intricacies of colorful glass beads and glass jewelry? In this introduction to bead making, learn the basic skills of heating glass, applying it to a mandrel, and shaping it with tools in just 4 weeks.

 

Plus, learn important decorative techniques, such as dots and trails. You’ll make several different kinds of beads that you'll want to wear or share.

 

Ages 14+

Glass Swizzle Sticks

$115 MEMBER PRICE: $115
Calendar Next available session starts Apr 1, 2026 at 6 pm

Stir in style. In this introductory workshop, make elegant, colorful swizzle sticks for your drinks, houseplants, or garden décor using a 3,000°F torch. Guided by a skilled instructor, learn torch basics and explore decorative techniques to make a functional or decorative glass set. Fun to make, beautiful to use, and perfect to keep or gift.

Ages 14+

Due to the nature of hot glass, your items will be available for pickup 5 days after your activity.

Make-It-Now: Mini Mushroom

$30 MEMBER PRICE: $30
Calendar Next session starts Apr 3, 2026 at 6 pm
8 additional sessions through Apr 3, 2026

Fire up the torch, shape molten glass, and think spring. In this quick and exciting flame shop experience, you’ll work closely with a skilled artist to gather and shape molten glass into a hand-crafted mini mushroom using a 3,000°F torch. Finish it with a magnet or glass loop to make it an ornament or pendant, or leave it as a fun mushroom 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.

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.

Drawing with Glass: An Introduction to Stringer Drawing

$230 MEMBER PRICE: $230
Calendar Next available session starts Apr 4, 2026 at 9:30 am, runs for 4 weeks

Learn how to draw with glass. In this 4-week course, you will learn a variety of stringer pulling techniques, watch detailed demonstrations, and use hand torches to gain the skills required to create one-of-a-kind borosilicate glass drawings. This class is great for a beginner flameworker or someone looking to expand their skills at the torch. You are encouraged to bring reference images and ideas that we can help you bring to life in glass.

 

Ages 14+

Introduction to Borosilicate

$230 MEMBER PRICE: $230
Calendar Next available session starts Apr 4, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 4 weeks
Learn to work with borosilicate (hard) glass over the torch. Borosilicate is very resistant to shock which makes it perfectly suited to scientific applications. It's also appropriate for countless artistic projects. Explore the creation of borosilicate beads, marbles, and pendants while learning new methods for applying color to your glass objects. No experience necessary.

Ages 14+

Color and Aquatics

$230 MEMBER PRICE: $230
Calendar Next available session starts Apr 4, 2026 at 4:30 pm, runs for 4 weeks
Take a deep dive into this aquatic themed 4-week flameworking course. Demonstrations will include sculpting sea forms such as fish, sea turtles, octopus, and marine plant life. Over the course of 4 weeks, you will learn color application, hand control, and annealing. Instruction will cover safety, torch operation, a variety of solid sculpting practices using borosilicate glass, and provide one-on-one troubleshooting. This class is great for someone to expand their sculpting skills at the torch.

Prerequisite: Flame 1: Introduction to Flameworking, or equivalent 24 hours experience with instructor permission required.

Ages 14+

Flameworking: Open Projects

$230 MEMBER PRICE: $230
Calendar Next available session starts Apr 5, 2026 at 9:30 am, runs for 4 weeks
Finish a project you have had on the back burner or tackle a new one while focusing on your favorite techniques in Flameworking Open Projects. Instructor will work one-on-one with students and provide personalized demos and troubleshooting.

Prerequisite: Flame 2 or 72 hours equivalent experience or instructor permission required.

Ages 14+

Simple Flameworked Birds

$115 MEMBER PRICE: $115
Calendar Next available session starts Apr 5, 2026 at 1 pm

PGC 123 Tweet yourself to something new. In this introductory workshop, heat glass rods using a 3,000°F torch and learn to shape into simple bird forms. Guided by a skilled instructor, learn torch basics and add color to make these one-of-a-kind creations. Add a glass loop to make it a pendant or keep them as cute sculptures perfect to wear, share, or show off.

Ages 14+

Due to the nature of hot glass, your items will be available for pickup 5 days after your activity.





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