The 2018 election for Virginia’s 94th House district ended in a tie, with both candidates deadlocked at 11,608 votes. As per a centuries-old state law, a random drawing was needed to break the deadlock. Seeking to elevate the occasion, the Election Committee turned to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for a unique bowl. Fortunately, resident artist Steven Glass had the perfect piece: a blue-and-white body bowl, its unassuming beauty enhanced by a wax-resist technique.
This “election bowl,” went on to become an unexpected news sensation, garnering local, national, and even international attention. Not a fancy trophy, it transformed into a symbol of democracy, reminding everyone that even everyday objects, in the hands of skilled artists, can hold extraordinary stories.