Opening: Environmental concerns take center stage in Pittsburgh

Jason Fork's Next Harvest (2010) presents a glass windmill as a plant to encourage thinking about harvesting wind power.

The exhibition “From the Earth to the Fire and Back“ opening this Friday evening at the Pittsburgh Glass Center is timed to coincide with United Nations World Environment Day on June 5^th, for which Pittsburgh has been named the North American host city. The exhibition will feature 28 local artists’ recent work in sand, soda, and flux. These artists are of all ages (four are even high-school students) and many are creating their work from recycled materials.

For instance, Jason Fork is making new work that symbolizes possible future directions for our energy supply. He explains in a written statement: “As one of the cleanest energy sources available wind is still a relatively untapped resource in many areas of the world.”

Leslie Kaplan recycled old bottles for her Flora-Cycle necklace. (see photo below, right). The floral motif was flameworked from old bottles, which had been smashed to bits, kiln-formed, and then puntied up and worked with flame. “After acid etching each glass piece, they were layered and woven together with recycled copper wire on a copper framework,” Kaplan wrote in a prepared statement.

Leslie Kaplan's Flora-cycle (2010) is made from recycled glass.

The artists in the exhibition are: Hunter Blackwell, Sean Broderick, Chris Clarke, Theresa Cress, Daviea Davis, Brian Engel, Melissa Fitzgerald, Jason Forck, Gayle Forman, Everett Hirche, Chris Hofmann, Leslie Kaplan, Adam Kenney, Ed King, Samantha Laffey, Joe Lappa, Zachary Layhew, Dan LeDonne, Michael Mangiafico, Heather McElwee, Ashley McFarland, Kathleen Mulcahy, Carley Jean Parrish, Jeff Phelps, Elizabeth Potenza, Heather Joy Puskarich, Jessica Rutherford, and Rebecca Smith.

Gayle Forman, a high school student, wants to spread awareness through her pieces about the choices that we have thanks to technology. She explains that the choice now is to use technology in a way that helps preserve nature or in a manner that will result in all our natural resources destroyed. Forman re-used plastic from drinking containers and glass from sunglasses for her piece.

Gayle Forman's What If (2010) is made from recycled glass and plastic.

Adam Kenney used blown glass and wood to create Special Vulnerability (2010), which he describes as, “a group of tiny islands threatened by rising ocean levels.” He says he hopes to bring attention to the imminent danger and inevitable destruction of these islands.

—Apeksha Vanjari