PITTSBURGH GLASS CENTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Visitor Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Visitor Services Administrative Assistant
Job Titles:
- Studio Technician & Fabricator
Andy has been working in and around glass for over a decade, focusing in more recent years on glassmaking equipment fabrication and maintenance. After receiving his BFA in glass from Kent State University in 2010, he moved out to the west coast to further his glass/equipment fabrication training with Bullseye Glass Company and Canned Heat Glass Studios, as well as metal fabrication positions at Beeman Artworks and Aztec Artistic productions. After working for 3 years as Studio Manager/Technician for Lincoln City Glass Center, he moved back east to accept the Fabricator/Technician position here at PGC. He enjoys the technical problem-solving required for fabrication and maintenance work and being a part of the glass community. When out of the shop, he enjoys hiking, camping, playing music, and spending time with his dog Ruby.
Job Titles:
- Hospitality & Kiln Shop Coordinator
Brian was born and raised in Massachusetts. He started his creative life with a photography obsession. Brian studied in the University of Massachusetts system before settling as a corporate trainer for 15 years. While managing Real Estate Investment Trusts he studied glass, and fell in love with leaded glass, and kiln work. After a major career change in 2017, he became a production lead in a stained glass studio in Richmond VA. Now relocated to Pittsburgh; he maintains his own small studio while taking on the Retail Manager role at Pittsburgh Glass Center. He and his husband now live in Edgewood with their cat Bumper, and dog Squid
Chris has been the Director of Studios and Technology at the Pittsburgh Glass Center since the opening in October 2001. I am responsible for the management, usage, maintenance and improvements of the PGC facility and its technology including computer and phone systems, HVAC, and all studios including two 1,000 furnaces, eight glory holes and over 30 kilns.
He received his BFA in sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and a M.F.A in Glass from Kent State University in Ohio. Chris received the Creative Glass Center of America fellowship in 2000. He has worked as an artist, metal fabricator and craftsman for over 18 years, and his work has been exhibited at museums and galleries across the country. When he is not in the PGC studios you can find him either restoring his 1910 Arts and Crafts home or fly fishing in Pennsylvania's beautiful streams.
Elean was born and raised in Westerville, Ohio. She found glass at The Ohio State University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Glass with a minor in Dance in 2016. Upon graduation, Elean went to Norfolk, Virginia and completed the Studio Assistantship Program at the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio. Immediately following, she moved to Pittsburgh for the Tech Apprenticeship here at the Pittsburgh Glass Center where she is now working full-time as a Studio Technician.
Job Titles:
- Director for the Pittsburgh Arts Cohort
- Talent & Equity Director
Fatima Bunafoor is the shared Talent and Equity Director for the Pittsburgh Arts Cohort that includes the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and the City Theatre Company. This shared role is focused on leading the organizations' efforts to infuse equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) throughout people operations and Human Resources practices. Bunafoor serves as a key thought partner to each executive director in the cohort and department leads in designing and building best-in-class organizations, collaborating with these leaders to support and nurture our most important asset: our people.
Fatima Bunafoor is an equity and management professional who has dedicated her career to human rights, racial justice, training, education, and creating systems of accountability. Bunafoor was born in Bahrain and moved to the United States in 2010 to participate in the NESA Undergraduate Exchange program through the U.S. State Department. Throughout her career in Bahrain, she was dedicated to human rights advocacy. Due to her work in Bahrain, largely documenting human rights violations by the Bahraini government against political prisoners, she was targeted by government pundits leading her to seek asylum in the U.S. in 2011. This experience shifted her focus from international law to local government. In the U.S., she spent the last 12 years focusing on equity and inclusion in different spaces including the government, non-profit, and private sectors. Bunafoor holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Juniata College, and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Before joining the Pittsburgh Arts Cohort, Bunafoor served as a Manager of Special Projects within the Office of Equity and Engagement at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. In this role, she was focused on creating the agency's first Institutional Assessment on Racial Equity, designing, and implementing tools, developing training for the agency and its partners in the county, coaching and supporting staff in learning spaces, consulting teams and leadership, and building resources and strategies for the Equity and Inclusion Team at DHS.
Heather McElwee is the Randi & L. Van V. Dauler, Jr. Executive Director of Pittsburgh Glass Center where she has worked since 2001, overseeing educational programming, exhibitions, fundraising, and strategic direction for the organization. She has curated numerous shows in PGC's Hodge Gallery including Lifeforms, Pittsburgh Biennial, and Turned On: Lighting Hooks Up with Sculpture. Her own glass artwork is an investigation of the relationship of vessel to architecture, and has been shown in galleries across the country. Heather has a BFA in glass and a Master's degree in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Heather has been interested in the artists' role in creative placemaking since she moved to Pittsburgh in 2001. She is currently the vice president of the board of the international Glass Art Society and appeared as a guest judge on Season 2 of Netflix's popular series Blown Away.
Job Titles:
- Director of Creative Projects
Jess Schwarz graduated from Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio, with a BFA in studio arts and an emphasis in the history of art & visual culture with a passion for multidisciplinary sculpture and installation art.
As a multimedia sculpture artist, Schwarz enjoys exploring play within the studio, utilizing combinations of alternative materials such as latex, foam, silicone, resin, textiles, and traditional beadwork. They possess skills in glassblowing, flameworking, cold shops, sand casting, blow molds, and stained glass.
Schwarz's academic ventures have been showcased at the Southern University of New York's Undergraduate Art History Conference of 2022, as well as the annual CCAD Art History Symposiums. Their artwork has been featured in several shows, including CCAD's CHROMA, the Art History Student Collective, and Assembled Identities.
Beyond the studio, Schwarz has honed their skills in the field of curation and art handling, helping put together numerous gallery exhibitions. In addition, they have worked in the college's glass department, maintaining the furnace, cleaning reheating units, and general upkeep of kilns, annealers, and torches. Schwarz has also spent several years in the college's sculpture lab, serving as a general tech, maintenance person, and manager. They possess a wealth of knowledge in the handling and installation of artwork.
Job Titles:
- Artist from the Foothills of Appalachia
- Studio Technician
Josh Messmer is an artist from the foothills of Appalachia. He found glass as he was nearing the completion of his degree in digital game design. His work is inspired by forms and textures found in both nature and digital media.
"It was thrilling to help bring Kathleen and Ron's vision of a world class facility to life. I am so proud of what PGC has become: A glass artists' Mecca, providing the finest creative experience for novice and professional." -Karen Johnese
Ron and Kathleen worked for 12 years to bring the people together who would help make their dream a reality, including artists, foundations, community members, and glass enthusiasts like the Block family. William and Maxine Block were avid glass collectors who supported Kathleen and Ron's vision. Their daughter Karen Block Johnese was very involved. She secured the organization's nonprofit status in 1998, recruited the first board of directors, and helped raise over three million dollars to build the world-class facility. Randi Dauler and her late husband, L. Van V. Dauler, Jr., began supporting PGC in early 2001.
Leana Quade received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2003. Quade has worked in many organizations such as Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pilchuck, Penland, Corning, Chrysler, Haystack, and the Pratt Fine Art Center. Her work has been shown internationally in countries including Belgium, China, Italy, Norway, and throughout the United States.
Quade's approach to working with glass is investigational, often modifying traditional techniques to create work that reflects her individual style. Her artwork exploits glass and other materials inviting viewers to question the material and what they are seeing. "My goal in developing work is to inspire curiosity by revealing mystical properties of glass and mixed-media by shedding light on surprising characteristics/capabilities they have."
Quade received her MFA in Sculpture in 2017 at Alfred University in upstate New York. She currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA where she continues her passion for teaching and sharing her love of glass while pursuing her studio practice.
Melissa turned on her first flameworking torch in 2000 and shortly after began immersing herself. Currently living in Pittsburgh, PA, she works as the flameshop coordinator for the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Over the past 10 years she has instructed hundreds of people as young as 5 years old and strives in providing a safe and memorable experience. Drawing inspiration from both her rural and urban settings, the plant world intrigues her the most and influences what she creates on the torch today.
Job Titles:
- Artist
- Design & New Media Manager
Morgan Hawkins is a graphic artist with a passion for nonprofit marketing and design. She is a graduate of College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, where she earned a BFA in Interior Design. In addition to her work at PGC, Morgan is also a singer and musician and serves as board president and marketing chair for Renaissance City Choir. She lives in Swissvale with her eleven-year-old daughter and gray kitty Catniss.
Job Titles:
- Visitor Services Administrative Assistant
Natalie Callahan joined PGC after graduating from Chatham University with a BA in Arts Management and a BA in International Studies. Though she considers herself an artist, Natalie had never worked with glass before coming to the Pittsburgh Glass Center. She is excited to learn more about the glass artmaking process while contributing to the efforts of a local nonprofit. Natalie is particularly interested in arts accessibility and community engagement in the arts.
Job Titles:
- Outreach and Accessibility Coordinator
Olive was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University with B.A. in fashion design and a minor in textiles. They have a special interest in craft arts and community access within the arts which drew them to PGC. While they have a background in weaving and fashion, they are excited to give glass a try and are thrilled to be a part of the PGC visitor experience and the Pittsburgh community!
Olivia Narciso (she/her) moved to Pittsburgh in 2017 after graduating from Penn State Behrend with a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration. Olivia comes from a creative family that nurtured her passion for visual arts from a young age and later found a niche in fundraising that makes her unique fit as the Donor Relations Manager. She brings her previous experiences from a Pittsburgh photography gallery, the Frick Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh Glass Center.
As the marketing director at Pittsburgh Glass Center, Paige Ilkhanipour has overseen the marketing, PR and advertising efforts of the organization since 2004, including our well received brand refresh in 2019. She has had a passion for glass her entire life, growing up around the family business - West Virginia Glass Specialty Company in Weston, West Virginia. If you have ever ordered a yard of beer at Mario's on the South Side, you have experienced their unique glassmaking.
Paige came to PGC with 25 years in marketing and PR where she helped guide a variety of clients from Microsoft to Development Dimensions International. Her experience, passion for glassmaking, and creative flare have served PGC well.
A dedicated volunteer for many nonprofit organizations, she has supported Gateway to the Arts, Friends of the Riverfront, Pittsburgh New Works Festival and Three Rivers Rowing Association among others.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from Bethany College in West Virginia and a Master's degree from West Virginia University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board
Native Marylander Rachel Niederberger joined Pittsburgh Glass Center in 2017, having spent nearly 5 years in fundraising at the Pittsburgh Symphony after graduating from Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College. Rachel is an avid podcast listener and yogi wannabe. A hot glass newbie, she is proud to have perfected the wonky cup, but most of her burns are still from cooking.
Rebecca McNeil CPA, CGMA, is the Shared CFO of the Arts Finance Cohort and provides financial management and strategic planning guidance for five small arts organizations (Contemporary Craft, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, New Hazlett Theater, Pittsburgh Glass Center and Union Project). She previously worked as Director of Finance for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and as an auditor with Maher Duessel CPAs. Rebecca has over 25 years of experience in accounting and financial management for not-for-profit arts organizations and was named a 2016 CFO of the Year by the Pittsburgh Business Times. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan, a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Roswell is an artist who has worked with glass since 2020 after being introduced to the medium at Ohio State University and has fallen in love with the craft ever since. After graduating from university, Roswell went to STARworks Center for Creative Enterprise in North Carolina where they worked as an intern before coming to Pittsburgh Glass Center as a Tech Apprentice. Originally studying to go into animation, you will often find the work Roswell creates draws on inspiration from many cartoons of their youth. Currently, they are driven to create a body of work that brings joy not only to themselves but to others.
Job Titles:
- Hot & Cold Glass Coordinator
Theresa is originally from a small artistic town in North Carolina known primarily for its ceramics. After receiving a bachelor of science in environmental science and a minor in mathematics at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, Theresa found glass and her career path changed. Theresa started working with glass in 2010 in Orrefors, Sweden at the training school within the factory. Since then she has worked at various public and private studios in Austin, TX; Corning, NY; Whidbey Island, WA; Sonoma County, CA; and Maui, HI. Theresa has worked as a production glass blower, instructor, demonstrator, narrator, cold worker, and everything in between! She works primarily in the Hot Shop on vessels and sculpture and in the Cold Shop on anything from sculptures, Swedish-style lathe work to engraving and grinding/polishing. Her work is inspired by patterns and math found in nature, her love of equestrian sports, and her tendency to dive into any project whole heartily.
Valerie Bundy is a Pittsburgh based educator with a love of contemporary art and passion for informal learning through objects. She considers herself a maker in practice and an artist at heart. Valerie began her career as a Preschool teacher, and has since worked as an educator in varying capacities at institutions including: The Carnegie Museum of Art, The National Building Museum, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Friends of the National Zoo, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.
As the Program Director at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Valerie oversees educational programming in residencies, classes, and exhibitions.
She holds a BA in the History of Art and Architecture with a Studio Arts minor from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her MA in Museum Education from The George Washington University in 2016.
Job Titles:
- Studio Technician and Hot Glass Instructor
Zachary Wade Layhew is an American artist that is living and working in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of 14, Zach started his glass career by taking an introductory intensive at the Pittsburgh Glass center called the Teen Bootcamp. He quickly fell in love with the material and the community surrounding it. Through the years he has focused on his technical skills in glass and has started to develop his voice through sculpture. To this day, Zach is working as an artist, and as an instructor for The Pittsburgh Glass Center. In his spare time he is also aiding other local Pittsburgh artists as an assist.