With HDTV, the newest Apple gadget or the car that drives itself, sometimes it feels like it’s pretty difficult to impress people. We expect the latest thingamajig to be 100 times better than the last version. We expect movie graphics to be amazing. We expect, we expect, we expect”¦
That’s why being unexpectedly blown away by Chihuly at Denver Botanic Gardens was such a nice feeling. I was genuinely amazed by the experience, and it’s a feeling that will stick with me for a very long time.
Despite being from the Pacific Northwest, the home of Chihuly, the artist didn’t really come to my attention until I saw a huge display of his work at a studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico a decade ago. Like most people, I loved it.
Fast forward, and today his work is everywhere and it always draws my eye. My husband recently crafted a beautiful custom Colorado blue-stained pine curio for a client’s Chihuly glass collection.
It seemed like Chihuly had been popping up everywhere when low and behold I got a press release stating his work would be displayed at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
I got a chance to visit with other media types right after the works were installed. The gardens are already astounding, but the addition of these glass artworks adds a sort of otherworldly ambiance.
Some fun facts:
It took 11 of Chihuly’s team members 11 days to install the artwork at Denver Botanic Gardens.
There are 14 site installations, each specifically designed for this garden.
One of the first pieces you’ll encounter as you enter is a big spikey glass beast called, “Blue Icicle Towers.” It has 650 “icicles.”
“Summer Sun” another gigantic piece you find near the event tents has 1,901 glass elements.
Inside the Japanese Garden you’ll find floating glass balls bobbing on the top of the pond as brightly colored coy swim below them. The old rowboat floating among the balls contains 185 glass sculptures.
Brian Vogt, the CEO of the gardens, is frequently asked if Denver’s summer hail storms will damage the sculptures, and he says no. The glass is strong and the plants around the sculptures are in much more danger of being injured by summer storms.
While the big showy pieces are truly magnificent, I loved the sculptures that blend seamlessly into the scenery, as if they had grown right there in the garden.
The Chihuly exhibit runs through November 30, 2014.
Don’t miss it.
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Oh my gosh!! Stunning doesn’t even say it. We saw the huge entrance piece he has in the London Natural Science Museum and I was blown away by it. In a garden would be perfect for his Art.
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Yes, a lot of his art is so organic. It looks as though it grew right there in the garden. Thanks for stopping by HeidiTown, Carm!
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I saw his show at the botanical gardens in Phoenix and obviously it’s a completely different environment. As you said, they pair the artwork with the fauna to make the whole landscape a work of art. Wish I cold have seen Denver’s too.
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You talked that show up so much, Suz, and it totally lived up to your hype! It’s not just a title. I was truly blown away. If I were rich I’d fly around and see Chihuly in every botanic garden where he exhibits. 🙂
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AHHH! I must go soon!! I want to see it at night too!
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I think the night show will be surreal! Thanks for the comment and for reminding us about the night shows.
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Looking forward to this. Hope my sons will be able to process some of its beauty. They often surprise me.
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I bet your kids will enjoy it. Especially the big, giant sculptures. Plus, the Japanese Garden is highly entertaining with a bunch of blue glass balls floating in the pond. I’d love to hear what they thought! Maybe you’ll blog about it? 🙂
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