This past weekend I went to Dallas to celebrate my stepmom Donna’s birthday. It was a special milestone birthday that shall not be announced because once you are thirty, you are thirty forever.
It was a very short trip that was jam packed with activities to celebrate Donna’s special day. One of those activities was a trip to the Dallas Arboretum to see the Chihuly exhibition.
Who’s Chihuly, you ask? Dale Chihuly is a glass blower extraordinaire who’s known all over the world for his astounding glass art.
With works displayed at the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Chihuly is known for his fantastical arrangements of hand blown glass.
Chihuly installations can be seen in many places, but I think the most whimsical are his botanical garden installations like the one going on right now through November 5th at the Dallas Arboretum.
I especially enjoyed this experience because I don’t have much luck with plants. It was so nice to see the handiwork of expert gardeners. I might not like to garden, but I sure do enjoy seeing other people’s success with it.
I thought this would be bee central, but I didn’t see a single bee the entire day. Maybe it was because it was 100 degrees. I bet even bees have their limits.
It was such a pleasure to see this Chihuly exhibition. There are other opportunities to see his works across the country. And if you are lucky enough to live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you have through the fall to enjoy this masterpiece.
If you decide to go this summer, you might want to take in the Chihuly Nights exhibit. This will allow you to enjoy the installation in the evening when it’s lit up and glowing in the dark.
And if it’s that fantastic during the day, I can only imagine how beautiful it would be illuminated under moonlight.
How about you? Are you familiar with Chihuly? Have you been to the exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum?
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We actually visited the Chihuly Museum that had just been open for a few weeks while we were in Seattle. I saw some of the same pieces that you have pictured. They are truly stunning!
There are several of his pieces at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. I was lucky enough to win an incentive trip there…both the resort and his work were stunning!
Those are incredible pieces of art! It looks like Dr. Suess had the golden touch and transformed select plants onto visions of hes art.
WOW! just amazing eh! Um, what happens when there is a storm? It would be a shame if those lovely glass works got broken.
No to both questions, but they are both on my list of must sees. Thanks for the introduction!
I must admit I had never heard of Chihuly before your post Melanie but I am enthralled with your pix. As usual! I will be on the look out for his work in the future.
That blown glass is just fabulous!!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G art my biggest regret while going to college majoring in art was never being able to fit glass blowing into my schedule because it always conflicted with ,my graphics classes–wow–beautiful unique work
thanks for sharing
We went to the Arboretum over spring break. It was before the exhibit opened, but still there was SO MUCH to see. Such a beautiful place. In answer to the comment about storms, we had an awful hail storm about two weeks ago and a few of the pieces were damaged. I remember hearing that they were insured for something astronomical.
Happy Birthday to your stepmom! It’s great to be 30!
Oh I adore Chihuly’s works but have yet to actually see them in real life! The night tour sounds uh.may.zing. Thanks so much for sharing your photos. The water photo inparticular is my favorite.
And happiest of happy birthdays to your stepmom as well!
It pains me to say it, but I think the Dallas installation is better than the Boston Museum of Fine Arts one. It’s spectacular to see Chihuly outdoors!
My 12 year old loved this exhibit. We had to go 4 times last summer at the MFA!
He has a bunch of art installations in downtown Tacoma, WA (I thinks thats where he’s from). There’s a walkway bridge that goes over the freeway (by the museum of glass)that has a “wall” of his artworks you can view for free =)
From what I heard, they had replacement pieces already on site for the exhibit. The hail did break some of the pieces, but they were able to fix it. I can’t even imagine if something more devastating came through like a tornado. It certainly is a risk. That art it worth a tremendous amount of money!
Mohegan Sun Casino here in CT has some of his pieces – very cool to see in person! I’ve also seen the ones at Atlantis like someone else mentioned. I would love to visit that Dallas exhibit!
thank you!! a million times over – thank you. I had never heard of this artist before. His sculptures are absolutely amazing. I hope one day I will be able to see them in person. Until then, I will keep living thru you. Soooo…thank you very much. I love all your posts, whether they are about couponing, cooking, traveling, or especially your kids. Your writing keeps me in stitches. I look forward to reading your blog. Thank you so much for sharing Melanie.
Rose B.
California