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| - I'm always looking for unique ways to spend Valentine's Day. This year, I celebrated by doing a make-it-now at the Glass Center with CM. This event was held the evening of the day before Valentine's Day (2/13, a Fri.). I'd been to the Glass Center in fall 2013 to observe an exhibition during RADical days, and had been meaning to try out a make-it-now, so this event provided the perfect opportunity to try my hand at glass craftsmanship as a novice.
For the V-Day event, you could choose between three items to make: a glass flower, a heart pendant, and a glass tile. CM and I chose to make a glass flower, so upon checking into the glass center, we were told to go upstairs and check in at the hot shop. Upon doing so, there was a 15-20 min. wait, given that many other couples were scheduled to do the activity at around the same time. We passed the time by helping ourselves to some of the snacks that the Glass Center thoughtfully provided for participants.
When we were called, we worked with an instructor from the Glass Center (I forget his name) to make our flower. He first demonstrated the steps involved in the process, explaining each of them in turn. We then chose the colors and design of our flower, and proceeded to work with our instructor to carry out each of the steps. He was very patient and helpful throughout the whole process, despite our characteristic clumsiness! Despite the amount of people and molten glass in the studio, crafting our flower was a breeze and a lot of fun, thanks to his guidance!
After making our flower, we had to rush across the street because we had reservations for dinner at Verde. After finishing dinner, we returned and observed the other make-it-now activities--the pendant in particular was fun to watch. After they wrapped up, we went to the gallery to check out the glass art exhibit, which featured an arts program in Wilkinsburg. We were even able to participate in it by adding to a mosaic that would be displayed at the program. Finally, we checked out some of the glass art on exhibit by artists using the Glass Center in the foyer.
Overall, we had an amazing time making our flower at the Glass Center during the V-Day make-it-now, and strongly recommend it as a unique V-Day activity. The price was reasonable ($35), the activity was fun, and the staff was friendly. The only drawbacks were: (1) it was crowded, due to the popularity of the event, and (2) you have to wait three days to pick up your item so that it can cool properly. Obviously, however, there's not much the Glass Center can do about them, so I'm awarding 5 stars for one of the most unique and fun venues and activities in PGH!
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