Jan 19th–Jan 25th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Cer tifications 43 Smokin’ Glass Cannabis consumers soak up the artistry at this ‘Heady’ glass showcase. BY MIKE MADRIAGA A rtisans in the Valley who craft bongs, rigs, pipes, and hookahs turned up the heat for a glassmaking showcase in the Roosevelt Row Arts District. About 20 glassmakers, a dispensary and cultivator, a food vendor, artists, and small business owners set up shop in front of Bud’s Glass Joint on North Fifth Street for Hendy’s Heady Holiday in December. Cannabis consumers enjoyed perusing hundreds of handmade and blown glass pieces that ranged in price from $10 to $15,000. The free event had a chill vibe for the 200 to 300 attendees. Ambient, electronic, and jazz music played on loudspeakers, but the volume was subtle enough to enable folks to converse comfortably. People smoked at nearby picnic tables. In addition to glassware, vendors were also slinging hemp soap and candles, t-shirts and gear, artwork on canvas, and non-infused pastries. “All these guys are talented, and most of their stuff is on the higher end, and you get to meet with the artists and talk with them,” said Greg Centrone, a co-owner of Bud’s Glass Joint. “They are real persons, and there’s a chance for all the glass blowers to come and hang out as they’re from all over the state.” Centrone said the state doesn’t get enough credit for its talented glass artists. The holiday showcase is a way to change that. “This is a full showcase of what that is. Some people ask, ‘Why are those so much money?’ But when you watch six different glass blowers work for six to eight hours straight apiece, and then you see the finished product, you’re like, ‘Ok, that makes sense.’ These guys are pouring their heart and soul into it,” Centrone added. An Event Built for Local Artists The highest-priced glassware of the event was a $15,000 hookah crafted by local Chris Drury, who goes by @shuhbuh on Instagram. The glass hookah has three outlets for three tokers that could puff on simultaneously after adding weed to the bowl up top rather than flavored tobacco. “As with any higher-end art, there’s a little bit of flexibility on the $15,000 price,” Drury said. The spike-adorned masterpiece, which featured glassy wasps with monster heads, won second place at a glassmaking compe- tition at the Champs Trade Shows in Las Vegas in 2022. Drury, a 10-year glass- blowing veteran, competed in the master class. “I’ve got about 80 to 85 hours of prep work into that, but in the competition, we had two seven-hour days to assemble it,” he explained. “The contest theme was ‘Who you are, where you are, where you wanna be.’ So I referenced my background — a construction background. And | CANNABIS | This monster hookah from artist Chris Drury sells for $15,000. The glassblower had it on display at Hendy’s Heady Holiday. Mike Madriaga >> p 45
