CHIHULY SHINES BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL NOW

DALE CHIHULY

Dale Chihuly can make the sun shine at night.

While the master sculptor’s glass works shine beautifully in any light, they are especially magical at night, lit to show off their exquisite shapes, textures, and color.

Chihuly’s latest exhibition, at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, in Coral Gables, Florida, is hosting Tropical Chihuly Nights, when visitors to the gardens have the exclusive opportunity to see the sculptures enhanced by moonlight and starshine, under the South Florida sky. 

You can bring a blanket and watch the moon rise and the stars pop through the covers of darkness, as they catch the shiny curves of Chihuly’s masterpieces.

It is Chihuly’s most comprehensive garden exhibition to date. As you walk through this 83 acre tropical oasis, you discover the amplified organic shapes of the sculptures, nestled among the plantings, shining brightly, in contrast against the lush green foliage.

Chihuly Nights are held every Thursday and Sunday through May. Check out this fabulous 360° Virtual Tour of the exhibition, created by Lenny Kagan, of Supreme Scene Virtual Tours.

Glass has its own special shine that is beyond its physical properties. “Glass has the ability, more than any other material, to bring joy and a certain happiness to people,” says Chihuly.

Chihuly has always been interested in the interplay of light and glass, with his Niijima Floats and Chandeliers series, his incredible lighted glass ceiling at the Bellagio Hotel, in Las Vegas, and his monumental Light of Jerusalem exhibition, to name a few.

Chihuly is a pioneer, not only for his iconic style, but for his development of glass blowing technique, and its establishment as a fine art.

In 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin, then continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established their glass program.