The job of executive director at the Pittsburgh Glass Center has been endowed by Randi Dauler and her late husband, Van V. Dauler Jr.
Heather McElwee, who has served as the nonprofit’s executive director since 2011, will be the first leader to hold the endowed chair. At the request of Mrs. Dauler, the amount of the endowment gift was not disclosed.
Ms. McElwee moved to Pittsburgh from Kansas to join the city’s community of glass artisans. Since 2001, she has held various jobs at the glass center, overseeing educational programming, exhibitions, fundraising and strategic planning.
Ms. McElwee taught the first glass blowing classes at the glass center and Randi Dauler was one of her students.
Since 2001, the Daulers have supported five major capital improvements at the glass center. A mobile glassmaking shop called Hot Wheels has reached more than 250,000 people in the region. The Daulers also funded the cost of two 1,000-pound capacity furnaces that run around the clock to provide clear molten glass for students and artists. The creation of a large reheating chamber made it possible for the glass center to host renowned glass artists Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra. The opening of a kiln shop allowed for casting, fusing and slumping to create stained glass and mosaics. The Daulers also funded the creation of the Emma Clyde Hodge Gallery, which has hosted more than 50 exhibitions.
“I have seen firsthand the vibrant impact that Pittsburgh Glass Center has made on both our city and the worldwide glass community. PGC is held in high regard by the international community of glass artists and curators, motivating many to teach and exhibit here or even to move here to create their own work,” Ms. Dauler said in a prepared statement.
“During and since my 10 years of PGC board service, I have been impressed by the talented staff who work as a team to provide a fulfilling consumer experience. It is my privilege to support PGC’s ongoing activities by endowing the executive director chair.”
First Published: December 9, 2019, 9:28 p.m.
