♪ ♪ LAURITA: Wow.

LAUREN: We just made it to Pittsburgh Glass Center.

We're gonna blow some glass and make wine glasses today.

They'll be stemless.

HEATHER: I'm so happy to welcome you to Pittsburgh Glass Center today.

We're an incredible non-profit public access facility where anyone who knows nothing about glass or who is an experienced, seasoned glass maker can come in and try making glass.

And if maybe making's not for you, you can also come and see things in our exhibition space.

We have three to four changing exhibits in our gallery every year.

So, the Pittsburgh Glass Center opened in 2001.

The idea was that we're connecting Pittsburgh's incredibly rich history with glass making with a creative future in glass making.

At one point, more than 80% of the nation's glass was actually produced here in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

And for a lot of the reasons that steel thrived in this region, glass did as well.

The rivers could bring in raw materials.

There were manufacturing facilities that already existed.

The rivers could ship out finished products at the end.

Glass was made in this region that sat on the tables of the White House and has been literally all over the world.

But then, unfortunately, for a lot of the same reasons that the steel industry died, the glass industry started to go away and leave this region as well.

And so we really have been revitalizing that history and telling people about it.

ROSWELL: Welcome to the Pittsburgh Glass Center.

LAURITA: Hi.

ROSWELL: I'm Roswell, I'm gonna be your instructor today, and we're gonna learn how to make some stemless wine glasses.

LAURITA: Awesome.

LAUREN: We are excited.

ROSWELL: Yeah, so this is our hot shop in here.

This is where all of our glass-blowing happens at the moment.

You can feel how hot this furnace is.

It is 2,200 degrees in there.

It is warm.

LAUREN: Geez, Louis.

ROSWELL: So what we're gonna do is we're gonna keep turning when we walk with it.

I'm gonna cool the pipe off.

You'll see it's gonna sizzle, sort of like putting water in a hot pan.

You want to help me?

We can start turning, trying to keep this glass on center and we're going to go pick what two colors you wanted to do.

Said you wanted this green in that blue over there, right?

LAURITA: Yes.

ROSWELL: And we'll head over to our reheating chamber over here.

LAURITA: Okay.

ROSWELL: Reheating chamber is a little bit hotter than our furnaces.

LAUREN: Yeah.

ROSWELL: Um, we'll go ahead and take it outta here.

LAUREN: Okay.

ROSWELL: And I'm gonna use this tool here, believe it or not, this table we do call a tool.

It's called a marver.

This is gonna help us shape this glass.

LAUREN: Ah.

ROSWELL: And so now I'm gonna put a bubble in there.

What's gonna happen is I'm going to basically fill this pipe with pressure.

I'm capping the back with my thumb.

LAUREN: Okay.

ROSWELL: And if you look at the top there, you should see a little bubble beginning to happen... LAUREN: I do see it.

LAURITA: Yes.

ROSWELL: ...at the tip.

So now we're gonna wait for this to cool down a little bit, and then we're gonna get a little bit more glass on the outside.

LAUREN: Okay.

ROSWELL: So if you wanna go ahead and sit down at this bench here, and then you'll scoot all the way up against this far rail here on the right.

Awesome.

I'm gonna go grab more glass right now, and then I'll come right back.

LAUREN: Alright, look at you.

LAURITA: This is exciting!

ROSWELL: This will be all that we'll need to make that wine glass.

LAUREN: Oh wow.

ROSWELL: Luckily, this wooden block will actually be able to shield my hand, so I'll be able to actually touch, right.

LAURITA: It's taking shape, it's taking shape!

LAUREN: I know!

HEATHER: One of the things that's really interesting about glass making is almost nobody has tried it before, and that puts everybody on a level playing field to create an absolutely amazing object.

ROSWELL: We're gonna have you blow, um... LAURITA: Okay.

ROSWELL: And you're gonna start pretty soft.

A little bit like you're blowing out a birthday candle.

LAURITA: Okay.

ROSWELL: And you can listen to me, I'll tell you to blow harder or softer.

So, you're gonna go ahead and blow, you can watch this expand.

Blow a bit harder if you want.

LAUREN: Go, go, go.

ROSWELL: Awesome.

LAUREN: Oh, I see the line.

ROSWELL: Yeah.

LAUREN: Woo.

LAURITA: Ah.

ROSWELL: It's a pretty fresh paddle, too.

Normally, they'll be kind of burnt pretty through.

LAUREN: Woo.

LAURITA: Ah, there we go.

ROSWELL: See it kind of becoming the shape that you want.

LAURITA: This is definitely a talented skill to have.

LAUREN: You make it look so easy, too.

ROSWELL: Years of practice.

I've been doing it for about four years.

LAURITA: Oh wow.

ROSWELL: Little bit harder.

Perfect.

LAURITA: Ah.

ROSWELL: That came right off... LAURITA: Oh!

ROSWELL: Now you've got yourself a nice little cup.

LAUREN: That's so cute.

LAURITA: That's nice.

ROSWELL: So I will take this cup with these Kevlar tongs to protect my hand.

LAURITA: Okay.

ROSWELL: In here, it's about 900 degrees.

LAUREN: Awesome.

ROSWELL: That's how you make a stemless wine glass.

LAURITA: Thank you.

ROSWELL: Can go ahead and make one with you, too so you're not all left out.

Lauren, it'll be your turn.

LAUREN: Yes.

ROSWELL: Same deal.

You'll get to stand here.

You'll feel this heat again.

LAUREN: Okay.

LAURITA: Yes.

ROSWELL: Come over and get your colors while I talk about that.

LAURITA: Great color choice, Lauren.

LAUREN: I know.

I like my choice.

LAURITA: Yeah, I heard this place was one of the top three in the country, so... ROSWELL: Yeah, there are very few... LAURITA: That's why people are moving here.

ROSWELL: Yeah, there are very few public access facilities of the size that we are.

LAUREN: Mm-hmm.

ROSWELL: And we're just lucky enough to have just expanded so we can have more people coming in here.

LAUREN: I see it.

LAURITA: There it goes.

That line.

I see that line forming.

LAUREN: I see it too.

LAURITA: Actually, the burning wood smells good to me.

LAUREN: I know.

ROSWELL: Yeah, it's a cherry wood as well.

So it's got this really nice, kind of smokey smell.

I'll bring it up on this, little tap.

LAURITA: Look at your little glass taking shape.

LAUREN: She is cute, okay.

ROSWELL: Perfect, that's great.

You can go ahead and take that off.

Woo-hoo.

ROSWELL: Awesome.

LAURITA: She looks good, Lauren.

LAUREN: She does.

LAURITA: Home run.

ROSWELL: Nice.

LAURITA: Yes.

LAUREN: One and done.

LAURITA: Yep.

ROSWELL: Ta-da.

LAUREN: She's cute.

ROSWELL: Yeah.

Got your glass right here.

(both cheering).

LAURITA: Good job, girl.

Well, this was so exciting for us today.

LAUREN: Thank you so much for showing us your amazing craft.

This is such a cool experience.

ROSWELL: Of course.

I'm glad to show you guys around our hot shop and show you everything.

I'm happy to talk you're ear off if you ever give me the chance.

LAUREN: I love that.

LAURITA: Alright, well, take care of our two girls in there, and we will get them later.

ROSWELL: All right, you got it.

HEATHER: One of the things that we talk about when people come to the Glass Center, they're amazed.

It's something they've never seen before.

And that sense of awe and wonder is something that we really love seeing in people.

♪