NEWS
Exhibits, attractions will recount rich local history of glass making
Pittsburgh Business Times, April 13, 2007 by Tracy Carbasho - A yearlong celebration highlighting Pittsburgh's heritage in the glass-making industry will set the stage for 2008 when the city celebrates its 250th birthday.
"We hope the glass celebration sets the standard of excellence for the year to follow," said Sy Holzer, chairman of the leadership committee for the "Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass!" festivities. "The success of this event and the birthday celebration next year will be important for the city. If we have a great city, we have employees who are happy to come to work and customers who are happy to be in Pittsburgh."
"Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass!" was launched last month and will continue with hundreds of events and attractions slated at more than 50 venues throughout the region for the remainder of the year.
Holzer, who also serves as president of PNC Bank, said the celebration is projected to contribute more than $20 million to the local economy, with an estimated 400,000 local residents and visitors expected to see the attractions and spend money at restaurants, shops and hotels.
The celebration represents the collaboration of more than 70 cultural, civic and community organizations to develop glass-related programs and to promote the events with one voice. The celebration is being promoted through print, radio and television advertisements focusing on the tri-state area, as well as New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C., markets.
Providing financial support for the festivities are the Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Heinz Endowments and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
"The foundations are at the heart and soul of what we do to improve the city," Holzer said. "We've received a lot of support from major companies, but we hope more will become involved."
Marguerite Jarrett Marks, director of "Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass!," said approximately $3 million has been raised through contributions from foundations and corporations to support the project.
"Glass speaks to what Pittsburgh is about ... past, present and future," she said. "Pittsburgh was known for its glass before it was known for its steel industry."
The history of glass-making in western Pennsylvania dates back to 1797 when the first glasshouses were opened. Today, the Pittsburgh Glass Center in Friendship offers glass-making classes and features facilities for novice and professional artists.
The L.E. Smith Glass Co. in Shaler is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. As part of its anniversary celebration, the company, which makes plates and decorative glassware, is using molds from 1907 to produce a limited-edition collection of historical pieces.
"Glass is important to our heritage because it was the first business in Pennsylvania," said Lynn Bryan, retail sales manager at L.E. Smith. "I hope the celebration helps people understand the craftsmanship that goes into each piece of handmade glass as opposed to buying an imported product that is just one piece from an assembly line."
The glass theme was chosen more than a year ago when Phipps Conservatory said it would offer a special attraction beginning in May and running through Nov. 11. The exhibit will feature the glass art of Dale Chihuly, an internationally renowned artist from Seattle. The Chihuly exhibit is expected to be the anchor of the celebration, attracting a steady stream of visitors over a six-month period.
June will be a busy month with the 37th Annual Glass Art Society Conference, entitled "Transformational Matter," being held June 7-9 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
During the final three weeks of June, certain Downtown buildings will sparkle with lights that have been coordinated by French lighting artist Lucette de Rugy. All of the buildings that will be illuminated have not been selected, but the former Horne's building and the wall at Katz Plaza are on the list.
Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass!
Year of events detailing Pittsburgh's history as a center of glass manufacturing:
Current events include:
- John Miller Installation, glass sculpture exhibit,
Society for Contemporary Craft
- All Aboard for Economy: A Model Railroad Setup, exhibit,
Old Economy Village
- Glass: Shattering Notions, exhibit, Sen. John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum
Web site: www.pittsburghcelebratesglass.org
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