Blown Glass From Chihuly Enhances Denver Botanic Gardens

It’s still an experience to see blown glass showcased solo or displayed inside a museum or gallery, but Denver Botanic Gardens is among 13 gardens across the country to take art to the next level. Chihuly incorporates bold colors of blown glass designed specifically for this exhibit. Glass artwork decorates pathways and can even be found stacked upon each other on wooden boats in ponds. Internationally famous artist, Dale Chihuly, orchestrated the show, making this the Rocky Mountain Region’s first major outdoor exhibition of artwork by the award-winning artist credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement.

The show starts with a towering sculpture showcasing the inspiration he draws from nature. The contrasting blues of the first sculpture seen when entering, Blue Icicle Towers, are reminiscent of an agave plant. Continue on to see some of the other most notable pieces, including Summer Sun, which consists of a swirl nearly 2,000 red, orange and yellow glass elements. The Tower, made of 312 hand-formed neon tubes, stands 30-feet tall and is bordered by 49 Cattails bringing out more nature on nature.

For Denver to land a show of this caliber further proves it’s a city on the rise and is keeping its love for art in the forefront. The  exhibition rolls out of town on November 30.  Chihuly at night is sold out.

Interesting Facts:

-Chihuly Studio shipped six, 53-foot containers from Tacoma, Washington to Denver.

-It took 11 team members from Chihuly Studio 11 days to install the artwork.

-Chihuly’s work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum as well as exhibits in Venice (where he also worked at a glass factory) and Jerusalem.

Address: 1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206

Pricing:

– Member: $10

– Non-member: $17

– Student: $14

Details: BotanicGardens.org