"Pyramids, cathedrals, and rockets exist not because of geometry, theories of structures, or thermodynamics, but because they were first a picture-- literally a vision--in the minds of those who built them. Society is where it is today because people had the perception; the images and the imagination; the creativity that the Arts provide, to make the world the place we live in today." - Eugene Ferguson
Chihuly Garden & Glass - Seattle, WA
Husband and I visited Seattle for the first time a week ago. For me, the absolute highlight of the trip was our couple of hours spent at Chihuly Garden and Glass at the foot of the Space Needle. It is #1 on Trip Advisor's recommendations for "What to Do in Seattle" for a reason!
All pictures featured here were taken by me. :) Pardon that they're not edited!
(Pro Tip: Purchase tickets online for a better deal - If planning to visit the Space Needle too, you can save $10 by purchasing tickets to both the Needle and the Garden together. Go before 10:00 AM or after 6:00 PM for the better deals! Peak-time hours add about $20/person to the dual-ticket)
Tacoma-native Chihuly, who I previously discussed in my Seaforms and Chandeliers post from 2011, has written his love-letter to the world with this exquisite museum and garden. My own 10-year love affair with his work, so vibrant and free, was absolutely tickled by this visit. And there was a lot to see!
Glass inspired by Native American baskets, glass inspired by seaforms and of course, chandeliers. Neon-infused glass forests, energetic sketches in metallic paint, boats filled with kaleidoscopic orbs, and glass gardenscapes...each and every room took your breath away!
"I never met a color I didn't like." - Dale Chihuly
"...glass itself, of course, is so much like water. If you let it go on its own, it almost ends up looking like something that came from the sea." - Dale Chihuly
"Glass is the most magical of all materials. It transmits light in a special way." - Dale Chihuly
If you have the opportunity to visit Chihuly Garden and Garden, I must insist you take it. It is worth the investment and you will have a wondrous time!
(I took this picture at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008. This is the lobby ceiling.)
Dale Chihuly is an internationally renowned class sculpture artist that got his start with glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. He enrolled at the University of Wisconsin after graduation in 1965 in order to study glass in the first glass program, and continued his education at the Rhode Island School of Design where he later established a glass program and taught for many years. You can read more of his biography at his website, www.chihuly.com.
My awareness of Chihuly began in 2005 when my high school art teacher and our National Art Honor Society (of which I was the Secretary at the time) organized a trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to experience an outdoor exhibit of Chihuly's that mingled his whimsical glass sculptures with the treasures of the garden. It was a gray, misty day, which kind of made it all the more magical. There weren't many people at the garden either, so we got to explore at our heart's content.
Of the many, many sculptures we saw that day, only the following one appears to still be present at the garden:
(This was taken at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in 2010. A friend of mine took this shot of the same sculpture in 2005)
I love Chihuly for his colors, his organic forms, his curving, evolving shapes, his play with light, his visual pop. You know it when you see a Chihuly. There are two on loan in my Mom's building downtown right now, and I noticed them the second I stepped in the lobby. He makes a range of sculptures, whether quite large (like the Bellagio ceiling or fountain toppers or chandeliers...oh my gosh, the chandeliers!) or smaller, like vases, bowls, or the following Seaform. These are not vases or bowls you put fruit in though.
Chihuly, as you'll notice in the video I included for you below, has lost sight in his left eye, which is a great deal of the reason (if not the reason) why he creates his work now from more of a conceptual and managerial standpoint vs. a participatory role. This was caused ironically caused by the glass of a car windshield in a car accident in England in 1976. As a result, he had 256 stitches and was in the hospital for weeks. And yet, despite this disadvantage that might cause most people to stop producing works of art...Chihuly has continued on and completely flourished, making himself into one of the greatest and most revered sculpture artists in the world.
(I got to see this gorgeous White and Oxblood (cream and crimson!!) Seaforms piece at the Columbia Museum of Art with Furman's Art Students League in 2008, I think.)
Here is a very brief time-lapse video to give you an idea of what it takes to put together one of those chandeliers. Just....add like, hours and hours.
And here's a great video to basically let Dale tell you himself about his work and evolution as an artist. When he mentions installations in a casino, that's another view of the Bellagio ceiling! And Youtube is FULL of videos about him and his glass blowing, so that's a good resource. :)
"I never met a color I didn't like." - Dale Chihuly
