Dale Chihuly at Fairchild Gardens
Unique Exhibit of Blown Glass Sculptures
Enjoy a display of contemporary blown art glass throughout the property of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Florida.
About the Artist
Dale Chihuly is one of the foremost American glass artists. Chihuly has been working with glass since the 1960s and in 1968 he studied in Venice, Italy after being awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. Chihuly is one of the founders of the famous Pilchuck Glass School which is located in Stanwood, Washington.
Chihuly and his team of talented glass artists travel throughout the world creating one-of-a-kind works of art glass. These glass sculptures have been part of various traveling installations throughout the world including Mexico, Finland, Italy, France and Ireland. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, located in Coral Gables, Florida, has had a number of his pieces on display since 2006.
Works of Art
There are currently six of Chihuly’s glass art sculptures installed throughout the gardens. Each sculpture is actually a series of individual pieces of blown glass which are arranged together in artful configurations. Four of the sculptures, End of the Day Tower, Gilded Ikebana, Macchia Forest and Red Reeds, are set up inside the Windows to the Tropics glass conservatory. End of the Day is a large glass chandelier, made up of brilliant reds, blues and yellows, which greats you upon entering the conservatory. As you wind your way along the paths of the conservatory, you come upon the other pieces displayed among the lush, tropical plantings.
The remaining two sculptures are displayed outdoors, in the water. The Niijima Floats, named after Japanese fishing floats Chihuly observed on the island of Niijima, Japan, are on display in the water of the Rainforest garden. The floats consist of a series of large glass spheres, which weigh up to 60 pounds each and measure up to 40 inches in diameter. The final glass installation, Cobalt Herons, can be found in the pond which is located between the Garden House and the Gallery. This sculpture is a series of more than ten, cobalt glass rods whose top portion resembles a heron. It gives one the impression of birds wading in water along the edge of the pond.
Gallery of Gifts
Visitors to Fairchild Tropical Garden’s shouldn’t miss a trip to the garden’s Gallery. In order to convey his vision for creating his next sculpture, Chihuly makes large acrylic paintings which his assistants use as an informal template. Many of these paintings are made into limited edition prints. The Gallery contains a small gift shop and display area which houses a collection of Chihuly’s paintings and some smaller blown glass pieces, all of which are available for purchase.
Evening Illumination
Every Thursday evening, from 6 to 9 PM, you can view Chihuly’s A Garden of Glass blown glass installation. This event, called Poppin’ Tropical Nights, also features the sculptures of Roy Lichtenstein which are displayed throughout the property. The glass takes on an entirely different look as it is illuminated against the dark, nighttime sky.
Getting There
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL 33156 www.fairchildgarden.org
Additional Information
Chihuly’s official website is located at www.chihuly.com. This site features his biography, bibliography, exhibition schedule, gallery locations and many beautiful photographs of past art glass installations.
See the article, Roy Lichtenstein at Fairchild, for details on the artists sculptures currently on display.
