These sculptural pieces of glass can be used as water pipes or just collected as pieces of artwork. Mr. Grey of Grey Space Art first discovered the world of art glass in this community three years ago and was hooked. “I met a guy who made bongs – glass and sculptural and they were being sold as art first and foremost,” said Grey. “I thought the contemporary art world would love this stuff and I’ve been working on how to bring it to the art world.”Grey is a collector himself and owns over 300 pieces that are valued between $500-$250,000. This gallery show on Sept. 10 and 11 in Soho, will feature approximately 30 pieces with a value between $500-$300,000. Some of the artists represented in the show include Robert Mickelsen, who sometimes spends up to 3 months working on a piece. Marijuana is illegal in the state of New York except for limited medicinal purposes.If you had no idea this group of artists existed, then check out High Times Magazine, which highlights a glass artist of the month. There is also a glass contest a the CHAMPS trade show for counter-culture industry. The first prize winner this year was Chris Hurley, who took home a check for $10,000.Other high-end art glass pipes can be purchased from the website Functional Glass Art, which sells pieces that can sell for as much as $7,000.
Grey believes these artists deserve a high-end gallery to represent their work. “Most of the time, their work is sold in a head shop and I think that just doesn’t give these items the respect they deserve,” he said. He wants to see these artists present their work like other artists. He also wants to introduce the non-marijuana world to these pieces of functional glass sculpture.Grey summed it up by saying, “I want to see their work in the best possible way.”