Dale Chihuly's prized works intertwine with plants at conservatory exhibition
In the midst of the plants and flowers in Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens rise stems and blossoms of glass, mimicking shapes and some of the most brilliant colors found in nature.
These are the blown-glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, the Seattle-based artist who has specialized in placing his dramatic works in botanical gardens and other nature settings throughout the world.
Franklin Park Conservatory, which owns 16 Chihuly works — the most of any botanical garden in the world — will show its entire collection beginning June 1 in “Chihuly: Celebrating Nature.” The exhibition, which places 21 major installations throughout the conservatory’s biomes and indoor courtyards, is the third such exhibit in Columbus, following shows featuring the artist's work in 2003 and 2009-10.
“This is the first time the entire collection will be on view, as well as five additional installations on loan from the Chihuly (studio in Seattle),” said Bruce Harkey, the conservatory president and CEO.
“This is a great opportunity to see Chihuly on this scale. Glass comes from nature. The science of glass shows how sand can be turned into these magical, artistic forms. Chihuly’s art mimics nature. I think that’s very evocative to people.”
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Pieces on display include the “Persian Ceiling,” installed overhead in a hallway of the Himalayan Mountain biome, bursting with orange, yellow, red and blue in a variety of floral-looking shapes. “Lime Green Icicle Tower,” one of the loaned pieces displayed in the outdoor North Courtyard, has large, spearlike shoots that are grouped together and pointing skyward.
In 2003, Franklin Park Conservatory became the second botanical garden in the United States to host a Chihuly exhibit. At that time, John F. Wolfe, then the publisher of The Dispatch and a longtime supporter of the conservatory, led a fundraising campaign to acquire that Chihuly collection for the conservatory.
“He said he thought the conservatory never looked more beautiful than it did with the Chihuly sculptures,” Harkey said.
A team of six from Chihuly’s Washington state studio, as well as conservatory employees, worked to install the sculptures among the conservatory’s plants.
“It’s a very well-orchestrated process,” Harkey said.
Each individual installation is adapted to specific locations and plants, said Britt Cornett, director of exhibitions at the Chihuly Studio in Seattle.
“It’s impossible to say how many individual pieces of glass are involved,” she said. “One single installation may have 900 or 1,000 pieces of glass.
“Dale is not literal when it comes to each piece. It’s an organic process, and we have about 10 percent extra forms that can be worked into the installations. Only very occasionally breakage happens, but more often, there needs to be some fluidity (so glass pieces may be added). … The architectural installations never come together the same way twice.”
Chihuly, 77, began blowing glass in the mid-1960s and studied with masters throughout the world, especially in Venice, Italy. The Italian influence persists in his work; three of the loaned works are called “fiori,” or Italian for flowers.
In the mid-1970s, Chihuly was in an automobile accident that cost him his sight in one eye. Because he has no peripheral vision, he no longer blows glass himself but serves as a director, employing the Venetian team concept to produce sculptures.
In organizing the exhibit, staff members from the conservatory met with Chihuly in Seattle. Harkey said that the artist will not attend the exhibit opening but plans to visit at some point during the run, which continues through March 29.
Harkey said the reinstallation of the Chihuly collection comes at a good time for the conservatory, which has a $12 million annual budget. Because of recent developments, especially the opening of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden in May 2018, the conservatory has experienced a 63% bump in attendance in the last year.
Harkey said he expects the Chihuly exhibit to continue attract crowds to the conservatory, where some are drawn for their love of plants, and others, lured by the conservatory’s periodic art exhibits, are bought closer to the science behind flora and fauna.
“The art installations help people to understand plants,” he said.
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“Chihuly: Celebrating Nature” will take place June 1 to March 29 at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $19, $16 senior citizens, $12 ages 3 to 12, free for age 2 and younger and members. Call 614-715-8000 or visit fpconservatory.org.
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