First look at the 2022 West Virginia Day Piece
Celebrate West Virginia's 159th birthday with a beautiful piece of Blenko!
On June 20, 1863 West Virginia was admitted, 159 years ago, as the 35th state of the union and to commemorate this historic day we have designed 159 limited and stunning pieces to be sold to the public. (2022 West Virginia Day Pieces go on sale 12 noon EST [9:00am PST] on Saturday, June 18 and will ONLY be available for online purchase).
Designed by acclaimed glass artist Kelsey Murphy, and blown from our Tangerine glass, our newest Birthday piece, known as ‘Cabin in the Woods’, is approximately 7” long by 6“ wide and 12” tall from the base to the chimney. Each piece is completed with a roughly 7” tall twisted Charcoal drop in stopper to resemble smoke billowing from the chimney. Only 159 pieces will be offered and each stoppered bottle will be sequentially numbered and the base of each piece will bear the sandblasted signature of Blenko Glass Company President, John W. Blenko; Designer, Kelsey Murphy and the Blenko 2022 stamp.
The colorful creation is inspired by the cabin Blenko once provided their resident designers/artists, giving them not only a place near the factory to live but a taste of the West Virginia experience. The cabin was coupled with the thrill of working with numerous tanks of beautiful molten color and the freedom to create wild and wonderful forms and objects. Artist/designer Hank Adams and others lived in that cabin during their residency at Blenko. The idea of a quiet retreat to escape to and from there to pursue one’s muse is time honored. Ralph Waldo Emerson had perhaps the most famous lakeside cabin in the woods, Walden Pond. It is a nod to that creative escape that inspires this year’s West Virginia Day piece.
Although the original Blenko artist cabin is now gone; Murphy says "it inspired me to commemorate the unique experience of the designers and artists who benefitted from a situation available in a few places in the world. As another year begins a new and exciting future will unfold. Happy birthday West Virginia."
A special Ovid Whiskey Jug was also created as a companion to this year’s West Virginia piece! An Appalachian staple from times past, this 9” tall jug is crafted in our Crystal glass and finished with a Cobalt and Citrine wrap and a Cobalt handle to add a little style and color. Each jug will be slightly different due to the handmade process but each is a fabulous way to celebrate our state’s birthday.
How To Order
The first 50 'Cabin in the Woods' pieces (#1-50) will be offered for auction on our online store beginning at 12noon EST (9:00am PST) on Saturday, June 18. The auction will run through June 22, lasting five days in total. The pieces will start with an opening bid of $159.
The remaining 'Cabin in the Woods' pieces numbered 51-159 will be offered on our website for $159 each at https://blenko.com/shop/ as individual numbered items beginning at 12noon EST (9:00am PST) on Saturday, June 18.
Special Edition Ovid Whiskey Jugs will also be available on our online store beginning at 12noon EST (9:00am PST) on Saturday, June 18 for $118 each. Ovid Whiskey Jugs are not limited or numbered but will only be available for a limited time.
Please be aware that these items will sell FAST! If you are interested in purchasing a particular number, you should be paying close attention to our website at the time of launch.
We also suggest that you create a user account on our website prior to the launch to avoid having to go through that process during checkout. This is not mandatory, only a suggestion. You will also be able to checkout as a Guest.
Also, while we cannot strictly enforce this, please limit one piece per customer. We are going on the honor system and hope you will respect our wishes so that each person may have an opportunity to own one of these historic pieces. We will be monitoring the sales closely and any sales found to have purchased multiple pieces WILL be canceled resulting in the loss of ANY piece you may have purchased.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via our website and a member of our Customer Service department will reach out. https://blenko.com/contact
As always, we appreciate your continued support and we are very much looking forward to this event!
Thank you.
