Lifestyle Vape-Maker Puffco Is Throwing the Hottest Art Show in California David Downs June 28, 2018

The hottest art exhibit in Los Angeles this July won’t be at the Getty Museum or over at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

You’ll find it by following the aroma of dank in the arts district.

The Tesla of cannabis companies — Puffco announces today The Puffco Art Show, an exhibit and sale July 21. Hundreds of hash and glass aficionados, artists, and industry will gather at the event, sometimes paying thousands of dollars for custom glass attachments for their Puffco Peak — a new $400, luxury, battery-powered hash bubbler.

The Puffco Art Show will include not only glass sales, but new Puffco products and merchandise from the trending Brooklyn, New York company.

Puffco first turned hash heads with their PuffCo Plus, Pro, and Pro 2 vapes. Each award-winning, super-sleek pen paired with high-end extracts. Then the Peak changed the game. The Peak is to hash water pipes what Tesla is to a car — battery-powered, radically redesigned, in-demand, and a bit buggy.

Rabid fans bought out initial runs of the device, and Puffco upped the hype this spring with the Puffco Glass Open. Some of the world’s best glass blowers created custom glass bubbler attachments that fit to the Puffco Peak battery base. Winners took home global bona fides for their style. The Art Show follows a larger plan, Puffco founder Roger Volodarsky told Leafly.

“The Peak was always intended to be a platform for more than just oil. The glass contest was the first step in demonstrating how functional art and technology can merge in the cannabis space. Next is making it more accessible, like we’re doing with Art Show. We’re working on scaling these ideas to reach more people who might not have seen the value in them before.”

From Contraband to High Art

Once a banned art form — modern, borosilicate glass art pipes, bubblers, and bongs can go for a small fortune in 2018. Collectors buy and hold pieces as a long-term store of value, just like other forms of art investment.

Puffco Art Show glass will fetch thousands of dollars as well. “While we strive to make affordable products, the artists making pieces for the show are spending countless hours creating them. You can expect a range of prices from the hundreds to thousands,” Volodarsky said.

The Show features glass for sale from more than a dozen artists, who often go by handles and can be found on Instagram. Participating Art Show artists include @ryanfitt, @btgb, @devolglass, @sakibombhackysacky, @blitzkriega, @gpsglass, and @preston_hanna.

Also: @hefeglass, @bendavidglass, @tammyballer, @pakohglass, @dominoglass, @slob_glassblower, @chow_glass, @jacobisavincent, @joachimglass, @reynasays, @spacewalkglass, @donrob_glass, @sologlass, and @jaredcortlandart.

Buying high-end glass has always been a splurge for cannabis lovers, said Volodarsky. Art Show continues the tradition.

“Whether it’s a beautiful pipe or bong, I think we’ve all splurged a little extra to get a piece that has a unique design or a bit more craftsmanship than the rest. As the cannabis space grows and emerges from the darkness, I think we can expect more fans of high-end glass art,” he said.

The Puffco Art Show is Saturday, July 21 at 3 p.m. PST at 2010 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA.

David Downs David Downs directs news and lifestyle coverage as the California Bureau Chief for Leafly.com. He's written for WIRED, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and is the former cannabis editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as the author of several cannabis books including 'Marijuana Harvest' by Ed Rosenthal and David Downs. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. TW: @davidrdowns | IG @daviddowns View David Downs's articles