CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History (WVDACH) will celebrate its 45th anniversary on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 2 p.m. at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, in Charleston. The event will be free and open to the public, and refreshments will be available to visitors.

The WVDACH will be selling two limited-edition Blenko glass pieces. One piece will represent the anniversary of the department and the other will commemorate West Virginia’s birthday on June 20.

The special edition 45th anniversary piece is a decanter in cobalt with a citrine drop-in stopper and will sell for $94. It features a brilliant blue cobalt and citrine glass. The citrine stopper is gently dropped into each decanter, as the glassworkers can precisely make each stopper match the diameter of the piece without grinding. The yellow stopper shining down from on top of this rich cobalt vessel was designed to keep our eyes on the sunny days ahead.

This year’s birthday piece is a special edition alpine bowl, also in cobalt with citrine watercolor wrap, and will sell for $89. Designed to be wild and wonderful, this special edition bowl uses a technique known to Blenko as Watercolor, where the vessel is wrapped in glass from Blenko’s citrine furnace before being blown out to stretch and shape the piece. No two pieces are exactly alike as each bright citrine band is delicately wrapped around the body of the bowl, brilliantly showcasing the craftsmanship of Blenko’s artisans.

A limited number of each piece (45 anniversary pieces and 35 birthday pieces) will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information about the Blenko pieces or the event, contact Charles Morris, museum director, at (304) 558-0220 or Charles.W.Moris@wv.gov.