A New Eden:
Chihuly at Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

I am lucky enough to live very close to Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Meijer Gardens is such an extraordinary place that it can boast being mentioned in several books, including The Intellectual Devotional, which lists the sculpture park as one of only two places in the world to feature “Leonardo da Vinci's Horse at Equitana” (Milan being the only other place to have a horse statue of such a size). While some sculptures are permanent fixtures, others are temporary exhibits. These temporary exhibits change throughout the seasons, every year.

The past few months, I have visited the Gardens numerous times to view “Chihuly at Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: A New Eden.” This amazing exhibit includes thousands of pieces of glass in 15 different settings across the 132-acre grounds. These glass sculptures will be on display until October 31, 2010. In addition to the Chihuly exhibit, two beautiful pieces are permanently on display in the Grand Atrium and the ceiling of the Taste of the Gardens Café. You can view photographs from my personal visits here. After viewing Chihuly’s breathtaking artwork, I wanted to know more about the artist. 

       Above images, copyright: Ursula K. Raphael. Used with permission.                                                                              
                                                                                               

Dave Chihuly, a native of Tacoma, Washington, was born in 1941, and was first introduced in glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and he later established the glass program, which he taught in for more than a decade. Chihuly went on to study in Venice, where he learned the team approach of glass blowing. When he returned to Washington State, he founded the Pilchuck Glass School. Chihuly has been awarded eight honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. For three decades, the artist has been exhibited in more than two hundred museum collections worldwide. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington with his wife and son.

I also discovered that Chihuly has an art book series available, featuring his unique collections. Thanks to Jamie Daniels at Portland Press, I was given three of the ten books to review: Chihuly Cylinders, Chihuly Persians, and Chihuly Mille Fiori. I was thrilled to see some of the same sculptures at the Meijer Gardens’ exhibit featured in the books. Each volume begins with a history of the artist and the specific glass sculpture series, including the creation and installation of these collections. The beautiful photographs show the exquisite details of these forms, as well as glimpses into the conception and design by the artist, and the formation of each by his team. There is a detailed timeline in the back of each book, and placed into the inside of the front cover of each is a 15-minute DVD that includes interviews with Dale Chihuly himself. The boxed set will be released in Fall 2010.

The Cylinder series is known for the unique glass thread drawings and shards incorporated into each piece. The Persians (one of my favorite series) have tremendous color variations perfectly blended into the glass. The Mille Fiori, a “thousand flowers,” resembles more organic shapes; they are sometimes arranged in single elements or grouped together to create a mystical garden of glass.

Other titles available at www.portlandpress.net are Chihuly Black, Fire Dale Chihuly, and Chihuly Gardens & Glass.

- Ursula K. Raphael