Sunday Reflections: VCCC 2020 Recap

February 16, 2020

Warning: Some content in this blog may not be suitable for children (it's a nude picture of me with my butt blurred out).

On Sundays I reflect.

I had two sips of alcohol this past week but that’s not why this post was delayed. I’ve just wrapped up the third annual Vail Cup Collectors Club, and finally found some time to give you the recap.

This was the most exhausting week of my life. The event went anything but perfect, and yet we still created a magical experience that won’t ever be replicated.

Sincerest Thank You's

I’ll start with a list of thank you’s owed. To all of the artists who contributed to the show; SALT, Marcel, Stephan Peirce, Eric Goldschmidt, Gina Gaffner, Torchress, Matty B, Bard, Andrew Mitchell, True Krunk, Justin Krunk, Colton O’Neill, Rob Retza and Matt DuBois. To our painters who couldn’t make it due to weather; Old Greed and Wigged Out Art. To our sponsors Colorado Meat Company, ABR Imagery, Taglia Tool, Purl Wax, and Bonfire Brewery thank you for enhancing our experience. To Jensen Schipper and Weston Snowboards for waxing our gear and helping with anything and everything. To Shawn Waggoner, Reda Ruokyte, and John Ryan Lockman for photo and video. To my brother Jonathon for coming out to lend a hand and experience what we have built together with me. Lastly to J. Cost, the MVP of the weekend; thank you so much for helping me make this vision a reality despite all the challenges. I could not have done this without you.

To the collectors who traveled to be at our show, the ones whose flights got cancelled, the ones who couldn’t get through Vail Pass to the show; thank you so much for supporting this event. I’m sorry conditions got extreme, but I’m so grateful for the overwhelming support.

We got four feet of snow this week. Travel was a nightmare. We spent hours shoveling our cars only to have them covered immediately as we finished the next car in the parking lot.

Conditions on the mountain were insane. We laughed as we rode the chairlift up to watch people left and right buried under snow trying to dig themselves out. Then it was us digging ourselves out of the deepest powder I’ve ever experienced.

So despite most of our collectors getting stuck out of town, we had an intimate experience with collectors and artists this weekend. It was such an honor to host so much talent in one room. I’m so grateful to be able to work with such incredible artists and people.

Did I forget to mention half our video crew got snowed out, our photographer got snowed out (just Friday night and we found a backup), the wifi wasn’t working at the studio which has no cell reception, and the coldworking room completely failed? Fortunately Stephan Peirce fixed the cold working room fiasco and we still captured lots of great footage of the event.

It was also surprising when our interns cancelled last minute and left us without their help for most of the weekend. Obviously we adapted, but it sure would have been nice to have their extra hands around. A few did make it to help shovel snow Friday night and we definitely appreciate their help.

Despite all of the above, we came together to create some of the best work I’ve ever seen come out of a collaborative session. Everyone brought something so special to the table, and the experience couldn’t have happened without everyone involved. The cup collaborations that haven’t sold will be released soon, but for now we’re waiting on photo edits. We have gotten a few on the site and should have a few more every day for the foreseeable future.

Marcel said the coin pull we created was in his top five in terms of quality and yield. It was an incredible process to be a part of, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Coins will be available at $100 each once cut and polished. Some of last years coins are still available, and some were used this year to create drinkware featuring last year’s coins. The process is mind blowing and I can’t wait to share the video.

Booty Banned

One morning J. Cost captured a photo of my booty in the hot tub that I regrettably shared on Instagram. Some of you may have seen before it was taken down. Unfortunately this has gotten me into trouble on Instagram and they’ve prohibited me from doing live streams or promoting my posts. If you’re wondering why we haven’t had live streaming content, that’s why. Sorry, kind of.

I was exhausted and slept a lot during the post-event week off, but got a few collaborations I didn’t get to over the weekend and maybe get some laps in on the hill. I’ve got some guest artists coming through the studio this month and I want to finish my projects that are on deck before more comes to my plate. I’m excited for the glass projects I have ahead of me, but I need to wrap up a few loose ends before I tackle those.

This was my most ambitious project, and despite all the hiccups my most successful. I’m thrilled about what we’ve created together and looking forward to what’s next.

The Cup Mule

Today, I’m flying to Los Angeles to spend about six hours with my friend and collector The Little Glass Gallery, Matty. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it to Vail last weekend but I’m beyond grateful for his ongoing support. My business would never have made it this far without him. In addition to having the largest collection of borosilicate drinkware that I’m aware of, Matty has the most substantial collection of my own creations and collaborations in additions to many other artists. 

As I try to navigate through the many personas I embody; artist, broker, friend and human, I’m looking forward to spending time with someone who understands and supports those various roles and through all of them allows me to be me and do what I need to do. Thanks for years of support Matty and everyone else who has made my vision a reality.

Thanks for tuning in, as stay tuned for video coverage from the event soon!
BB

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