Glass: Shattering Notions
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4th Floor
Long-Term Exhibition
Glass: Shattering Notions transports visitors back to a time when the ancient art of glass making was used to build’s future.
It marked the birth of the glass industry – and it happened right here in Glass: Shattering Notions showcases the beauty, science, utility and technology of Western Pennsylvania glass over the past 200 years.
Interactive activities throughout Glass: Shattering Notions illustrate Pittsburgh's role in glass production, how glass can "bend" light to make objects appear smaller or larger, and much more. Long before being known as the Steel City, Pittsburgh was America's Glass City.
By 1920, the larger Ohio Valley was producing 80 percent of the national output.
GLASS: SHATTERING NOTIONS - THE BOOK
A companion book, "Glass: Shattering Notions," written by History Center's Anne Madarasz, tells the story of glass on a local and national scale through numerous personal and business histories.
Pittsburgh-produced glass has been used in fine tableware for five U.S. presidents, as tiles for the walls of New York City's great tunnels, and in searchlights at the Panama Canal.
"Glass: Shattering Notions" is available in the Museum Shop, or online in the History Center's E-store.
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