The GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet

Jason Forck, Golden Bridge, 2009. H 10, L 28, D 8 in. photo: nathan j. shaulis

While President Obama and leaders of the most powerful industrialized nations on earth convene in Pittsburgh for the G20 summit on September 24th and 25th, only slightly less powerful glass collectors, artists, and arts philanthropists will be meeting across town for Art on Fire 2009, the Pittsburgh Glass Center‘s annual fundraising auction taking place on the evening of September 25th.

“We scheduled our auction two weeks before the G20 summit was announced,” PGC spokesperson Samantha Laffey explained to GLASS in a telephone interview. “We thought about rescheduling it but then realized that every other event in Pittsburgh would be canceled that night. We’ve sold over 300 tickets already, which is in line with last year’s turnout. Everyone might not show up because of all the security and travel restrictions, but we’re hoping we might actually see an increase because so many other events have been canceled that night.”

For those attendees willing to circumnavigate the center of a city in serious lockdown mode to make their way to the PGC auction (which will be held at coporate sponsor American Eagle Outfitters’ corporate campus far outside the G20 security perimeter), many unique pieces await their adventurous bids.

Asked to name the three hottest works coming up for auction (see all of them in this photo gallery), Laffey shared her personal favorites.

Sidney Hutter, Sunset Stacked Glass, H 19, W 12, D 9 in. photo: nathan j. shaulis

A unique Sydney Hutter vase that comes from a major donation from the Maxine and William Block Collection to PGC was shipped to the center, and, when the box was opened, it thrilled the entire staff of PGC, according to Laffey. “It’s actually an atypical Hutter vase, which are usually stacked horizontally,” she says. “This one has a mixture of horizontal and vertical glass, which gives it a very unique look.” The Hutter piece is listed on the online live auction site that will allow remote bidding during the event for a starting bid of $12,000.

Another highlight is a set of finely wrought trash still lives by local-boy-made-good Matt Eskuche, which Laffey says “shows off his incredible range of highly developed skills in the expert rendering of crinkled plastic bottles and dented aluminum cans.”

Matt Eskuche, Apocalyptic Permafrost, 2009. H 11, W 20, D 16 in. photo: nathan j. shaulis

And Laffey’s third choice from among the wide variety of works going up for auction? The glass bridge made by PGC’s own Jason Frock as a signature icon that would help brand this year’s auction. “It’s completely gorgeous,” she says. “It looks exactly like one of the three sisters bridges that define Pittsburgh as a city. It’s such a symbolic thing for us, nobody could believe how beautifully it turned out.”

Jason Forck, Golden Bridge, 2009. H 10, L 28, D 8 in. photo: nathan j. shaulis

This year, PGC is encouraging auction attendees to dress up in their finest glass-inspired outfits, or simply adorn themselves with their most sculptural glass jewelry. The Art on Fire 2009 event will be chaired by Erin Morris and honorary chair Sheila Klein.
Much more information is available on the official Art on Fire 2009 website. For those who cannot attend in person, register now for online bidding, with some items even available for “Buy It Now” immediate purchase.