Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Pittsburgh Glass Center
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Embracing a culture of diversity
Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, access, equity, and inclusion.
PGC benefits from a multiplicity of viewpoints that varied experiences can bring. We embrace and encourage our constituents’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make them unique.
The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees, board members, instructors, students, and audiences invest in our work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and achievement as well.
Goal 1
Make Pittsburgh Glass Center and its services accessible and affordable to every household and organization in Pittsburgh
Goal 2
Strengthen the organization by the inclusion of individuals that reflect the varied cultures of our community in staffing, board members, teaching artists, and vendors.
Goal 3
Meet people where they are.
Goal 4
Reach and engage with more artists of color and continue to make the glass art landscape more racially diverse.
Full DEIA Plan
What We Are Doing
Our studios are open to everyone who wants to learn and create.
We offer a variety of
scholarships
in an effort to make our classes accessible to as many people as possible.
We welcome groups of all ages and abilities to our studios to watch hot glass demonstrations and participate in
hands-on activities
. If you can’t come to us, we can bring activities and demonstrations to you free of cost.
We also offer
artist residencies
to allow glass and non-glass artists time to learn new skills, create innovative work, or develop pieces for an exhibition at PGC or elsewhere.
Since our inception in 2001, PGC has been located on the edge of Garfield, a historically Black community. Since 2016 we have offered full scholarships for people of color and had the honor to have awarded over 100.
Despite these facts, the demographics of our students and attendees remain predominantly white. That shows us that while we try, we are not doing enough to diversify, and we challenge ourselves to change that.
If there are any ways that we can make our environment more inclusive and accessible, we encourage you to contact
Rachel Hopkins
, Director of Equity and Belonging. We want to listen and evolve for the betterment of our communities.
Crafting the Future
Pittsburgh Glass Center has partnered with
Crafting the Future
, a new organization working to diversify the fields of art, craft and design by connecting BIPOC artists with opportunities that will help them thrive.
Listen to an interview with Corey Pemberton
, Director, on the Talking Out Your Glass podcast.
Hot Shop Activities
With the help of an instructor, participants will learn how to transform 2,000°F molten glass into a unique glass artwork. Sculpted items will be manipulated and shaped with various metal hand tools. Blown items will be inflated via a flexible tube attached to a blow pipe. The Hot Shop, as the name might suggest, can get warm at times, particularly during summer months. That being said, the activity will only take about 10-15 minutes per person so you won’t be warm for long. We encourage our guests to wear lighter, natural material clothing for safety and comfort. Visitors are welcome to bring water bottles and a water fountain/filling station is available. These activities will involves sitting, standing, and walking around. Suitable for ages 5 and up.
Kiln Shop Fusing Activities
Combine brilliantly colored pieces of glass granules and thin glass strands to create a one-of-a-kind luminous fused glass artwork. Once you design it, we’ll fire it, so that all pieces become one. Participants will work seated in our climate-controlled Classroom and with room temperature pieces of glass. You will begin with a glass tile that acts as your “canvas,” then arrange the colorful glass granules and thin glass strands into a design of your choosing. Once the designs are complete, suncatchers are placed in a kiln overnight to melt (fuse) together forever. Suitable for ages 5 and up.
Flame Shop Activities
With the help of an instructor, participants will learn how to use tools and a tabletop torch to melt and manipulate glass rods and transform them into truly one-of-a-kind objects. These activities take place in our climate controlled Flame Shop, which involves working with a flame, but is not nearly as warm as our Hot Shop. Participants will be sitting at a workstation, making this option slightly more accessible and less physically demanding. Suitable for ages 8 and up.
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