Halloween Make-It-Now

Pittsburgh Glass Center is hosting Halloween Make-It-Now on Saturday, October 17, from 10 AM to 4 PM. It's one of their Make-It-Now sessions, which are the center's way of letting visitors try glassmaking with a local artist at the helm. You get to step into the studio and make something yourself rather than just watching from the sidelines.

Depending on what you're in the mood for, there are a few different ways to work. In the Hot Shop, you'll be working with molten glass at 2,000°F, shaping it with metal hand tools and inflating it through a blow pipe. It gets warm in there, so light, natural-fiber clothing is recommended. The Kiln Shop is a different pace: you fuse colorful glass granules and strands onto a glass tile canvas, which then fires overnight. And the Flame Shop uses a tabletop torch to melt and shape glass rods. If you're not sure which one to pick, the Hot Shop is the classic glassblowing experience, the Kiln Shop is more about layering and color, and the Flame Shop is for smaller, detailed work.

There are three specific projects to choose from. A blown glass pumpkin is $45 per person for ages 5 and up. A spooky suncatcher is $35 per person, also for ages 5 and up. Flameworked glass candy is $30 per person for ages 8 and up. Registration is required for this session, so you'll want to sign up ahead of time rather than just showing up.

Beyond these sessions, the center also runs guided meditation at the Pittsburgh Glass Corner and 'Date Night Make-It-Now' experiences where guests work together. If you've never tried glassmaking before, this is a good way to dip your toe in without committing to a full course. You'll walk away with a pumpkin or some glass candy for the season, and you'll have actually made it yourself.