Glass Art Commissions Take Flight At American Eagle's Corporate Headquarters

    PITTSBURGH, PA, December 28, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A new glass art commission by renown glass sculptors Kathleen Mulcahy and Ron Desmett has been installed at American Eagle's riverfront corporate headquarters.

The newest of their many glass art commissions is titled "Migration," a stable installation of blown glass birds attached to swirling lines of stainless steel. The piece hangs within American Eagle's lobby at the clothing retailer's Pittsburgh headquarters, part of the Southside Works riverfront development.

Mulcahy and Desmett completed "Migration" after an earlier glass art commission, "Tree" was finished and installed outside and adjacent to American Eagle's lobby.

A Challenging Glass Art Commission
Mulcahy and Desmett faced a unique challenge with this glass art commission - finding a way to capture and express the whirling energy, as a flurry of birds with outstretched wings, joyously playing and circling as they gather for flight.

Hal Hilbish created the lighting with Desmett and Mulcahy that projects through the image scattering bird silhouettes to the surrounding ceiling and walls literally filling the space with birds.

This suspended sculpture measures 20' High by 8' Wide x 8' Deep. Mulcahy and Desmett were assisted by Dan Spitzer of New York, also a glass artist, to create the birds referencing eagle and dove forms in the design.

Role of Pittsburgh Glass Center
The hand blown and hot worked clear glass birds were made at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Mulcahy and Desmett played a seminal role in creating The Pittsburgh Glass Center, a public access art center for the encouragement of innovative use of glass in art and design.

The finishing of the bird forms took place at the studios of Mulcahy and Desmett in Oakdale, Pennsylvania. The stainless rods were rolled at Russell Rolls of Pittsburgh then fabricated to create a spiral matrix with swooping attachments meant to create an image of a confluence of birds.

Jim Keen, a veteran steelworker at Weirton Steel welded the forms with Desmett. Aron Riggs of Somerset Steel Construction and Vince Gillen assisted in the installation.

Artists Bios
Kathleen Mulcahy works as an independent artist with her husband and partner,
Ron Desmett. Their glass sculptures, created independently and together, has earned numerous awards.

The Renwick Galleries at the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC acquired their collaborative work "Crossings 1982" this year. The Renwick recently purchased a Lidded Trunk Vessel from Desmett for its permanent collection; another piece was purchased by The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Mulcahy has received numerous honors including an NEA and the Creative Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Mulcahy and Desmett played a seminal role in creating The Pittsburgh Glass Center, a public access art center for the encouragement of innovative use of glass in art and design.

Kathleen and Ron reside in Oakdale, PA, where they have built an extensive glass sculpture studios.

For more information, email Kathleen Mulcahy at [email protected]. Visit our website at http://www.kathleenmulcahy.com. Contact us by phone at 724-693-0758.

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