Past Festivals

Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass

Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass was a year long event that took place in 2007 to help draw art and attention to the city of Pittsburgh. The City has a long history of using glass for artistic expression, so the theme was a perfect fit for the city. Dating back to the earliest days of the United States, the first glasshouses were founded in this area. Automated glass-making machines debuted here after Western Pennsylvania distinguished itself as the nation's leader in glass production in the 19th century. By 1920, 80 percent of the nation's glass was produced in Western Pennsylvania.

The Celebrations of Glass took place throughout the city with a plethora of differnt styles on display:

The Pittsburgh Glass Center lured glass appreciators to its first international exhibition of contemporary glass art called “Allure of Japanese Glass.” The exhibition featured 17 established and emerging artists who work in a full range of glass art methods and techniques. Many of the artists were well known in Japan but not elsewhere, so it was a great chance for them to gain exposure in the United States. It was also a fantastic opportunity for local glass workers to witness first hand the types of works that are being created in Japan.

For a more Western take on glass art, there was the “Viva Vetro! Glass Alive! Venice and America,” at the Carnegie Museum of Art. On display were 125 stunning objects, created by more than 60 American and Italian artists. Spanning the Venetian postwar industrial revival in the 1940s and 1950s through the birth of the American studio glass movement in the 1960s and its subsequent dramatic development and growth to the present, the show exhibited some of the fineist glass work of the 20th century.

Another highlight of the year in celebrating glass was the Glass Art Society Conference which was held in June. The prestegious event drew in over 1,500 people from all over the globe. The conference was the ideal opportunity to show the world that Pittsburgh is the future glass art hub of creativity and design. The Glass Art Society (GAS) is an international nonprofit organization that promotes the appreciation and development of the glass arts, and supports the worldwide community of artists who work with glass. They hold their Conference once a year, always drawing huge crowds. The high profile event drew many glass artests into the city, and since then many have moved to the city to become vital parts of the glass art community.

An event that took place in 2009 that shocased Pittsburgh's ingenuity in creating art from glass in creative ways was The Pittsburgh Glass Center Neighborhood Mosaic Project. It was a collaborative residency and exhibition between Pittsburgh artist Daviea Davis, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, local schools and the community. The two-fold residency and exhibition began in January 2009.

Davis visited many Pittsburgh schools to create community glass mosaics with students in the classroom. In the Pittsburgh Glass Center’s Hodge Gallery, she integrated the students’ ideas into a 360° glass mosaic panorama of the unique characteristics and joys of the City of Pittsburgh. Just another example of how art, glass and community are more and more becoming synonymous with the city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Festival of Lights

Starting in the Summer of 2007, Pittsburgh began the "Festival of Lights," the creation of Artlumiere and noted French lighting artist Lucette de Rugy. From July 5th to July 8th, the electrical company Duquesne Light sponsered the event to shed new light on downtown Pittsburgh as part of the Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass yearlong event. To tie the light festival to the event, each design was inspired by different styles of glass.

Artlumiere and Lucette used state-of-the-art technology to project large-scale images, on existing architecture to transform the façades of buildings into true works of art. She's brought these unique illuminating designs to cities all over the world, including Kobe Japan, Paris, New York, Geneva, and many other cities. The Pittsburgh installation of Artlumiere's work was the largest of its kind in the country. Before Artlummine had only done one building at time, but In Pittsburgh it was expanded to four. "This will be the first in which we will have a light tour in the city, which means that people can walk and go from building to building," de Rugy says. Her designs on this project have been inspired by different styles and interpretations of glass throughout the centuries. For the project, de Rugy lit up the façades of the William Penn Hotel, Katz Plaza, Duquesne Light Building and Horne's Building.

These events brought large numbers of people out of their houses and into downtown Pittsburgh, generating lots of business for local restaurants, and lots of exposure for local artists. The project cost 300,000 Dollars, but according to Marguerite Jarrett Marks, director of "Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass!" It wass well worth it. "It's an investment, it's one which we think will have a very dramatic impact on tourism and the local economy,"

The event proved so popular, that it was brought back the next year for Pittsburgh's 250th anneversery clebrations, the illuminatins retuned in the Fall of 2008. This time, de Rugy was joined by German and local artists who created spectacular light designs. The artists went for broke in 2008 by lighting up all of the Cathedral of Learning, which is the second tallest educational building in the world. Many more buildings were lit up this year and some sites were even accompanied by live performances.

Also used as the back drop for the illuminations, were more than 15 churches, synagogues and temples. These lightings further extended the festival's footprint and showcased the architectural history and prowess of this region. By incorperating houses of worship of severl religions, it engaged the interfaith community and their parishioners through neighborhood walks, worship and historical tours. New programming also includeeds a special Pittsburgh Community Gallery projection, that was viewable on the wall of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center parking lot. The projection l celebrated Pittsburgh's future by highlighting artwork from area youth, their mentors and programs.

In 2009 the Festival of Lights took on a new level of exsposure as it coincided with the G-20 Summit in September. With the world watching, The Light Festival of 2009 showed the world that Pittsburgh was more than just a city of Steel and Sports, but a city with a thriving arts and cultural scene.