A Guest Blog from a Visit to Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, Washington
What did you do over the holidays? Did you have a traditional celebration with family and friends, or did you travel and learn about new and interesting places? I always enjoy seeing photos from others taken during their time away.
This year, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, spent his holiday back home on the west coast. He visited family in California and then traveled with friends to Washington State. While in Seattle, he stopped at Chihuly Garden and Glass, a long-term exhibition at the Seattle Center right next to the iconic Space Needle. The magnificent display features a look at artist Dale Chihuly’s many works and his artistic development through the years, including drawings, signature glass series, architectural installations, and some elements of his personal collections.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I am sure many of you recognize the Space Needle, the famous observation tower in Seattle. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World’s Fair, which drew more than two million visitors. The Space Needle stands at 605-feet tall, offers 360-degree views from its three main viewing areas – an indoor observation deck and open-air viewing area located at 520-feet, and an observation level featuring a revolving glass floor located 500-feet above ground.
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- Chihuly Garden and Glass is adjacent to the iconic structure. Here it can be seen from the Glasshouse, a 40-foot tall, glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space.
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- The installation inside the Glasshouse is this expansive 100-foot long sculpture mostly in reds, oranges, yellows, and amber. Made of many individual elements, it is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended pieces.
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- This is called Winter Brilliance, 2015. Winter Brilliance was originally created for the Barney’s New York flagship store in Manhattan for its famous annual holiday window display. Installed at Chihuly Garden and Glass in 2021, Winter Brilliance features chandeliers, towers, reeds, and these icicle clusters.
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- This massive tower is made of thousands of individual blown-glass pieces that look similar to tentacles. The piece is in the “Sea Life” gallery and is two stories high.
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- Here is another piece in bright green. So much attention is given to the pieces’ colors, textures, and size – some of them are giant, while others are small enough to hold in one’s hand. This is one of the Chandeliers, which showcase Dale’s mastery of color and scale.
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- Here is Ryan in one of the indoor galleries under another stunning and colorful Chihuly installation, Oklahoma Persian Ceiling, 2002. Dale Chihuly has created more than 2,000 works of art. His work is displayed in more than 200 museums worldwide and in 100 public gardens, parks, and botanical gardens.
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- Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma, Washington where he first started glass blowing at the age of 20. He also studied at the Murano glass company Venini, on a Fulbright scholarship, in their world-renowned Venetian factory.
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- Some of the indoor galleries display dense, garden-like spaces with color-filled glass sculptures resembling crystalline plants and flowers. This Mille Fiori is displayed over black reflecting glass.
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- … and every single element is blown from molten glass.
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- Chihuly draws much inspiration from his travels like in this boat scene inspired by Japanese fishing floats.
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- This installation includes two fishing boats filled with glass. Dale has always loved water, and while in Finland, he had the opportunity to throw glass blown pieces into the water and then pull them up onto boats like these.
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- One of Dale Chihuly’s most prolific forms is the richly colored “Macchia bowl,” a term derived from the Italian word for “spotted” or “stained,” as well as the name of an ethereal form of medieval Venetian painting.
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- Dale was inspired to use all 300 colors in his shop for this series. These bowls are up to four feet in diameter.
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- Outside in the garden, the glass sculptures blend in with the plantings. Dale explains that when the outdoor space was designed, first the art pieces were selected for form and color. And then the landscape was second.
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- These are more of the Red Reeds – such a beautiful combination of glass art and nature.
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- All the taller pieces and some others were made in a small glass factory in Finland where the ceilings are 25-feet tall.
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- This yellow glass tree is two stories high.
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- Like many of his works, Dale’s garden pieces are all individually blown glass elements which are then assembled into art sculptures.
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- And here is Ryan in front of the giant yellow sun, made from thousands of radiant orange and yellow tubes of glass. What a great visit, Ryan. Thanks for sharing your photos. And please visit Chihuly Garden and Glass the next time you are in Seattle, Washington.
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