Chihuly Garden and Glass
By Kirsti Scott
“Cattails” and “Neodymium Reeds,” 2012. © Chihuly Studio, All Rights Reserved.
If you’re headed to Seattle, Washington—for a float expo, sea glass festival, or vacation—don’t miss a visit to the Chihuly Garden and Glass. Located in Seattle Center—an entertainment, education, tourism, and performing arts area of the city—this exhibition is located next to the Space Needle and showcases the studio glass of Dale Chihuly. This contemporary art exhibition is dedicated to glass and glassmaking, with art glass pieces by Dale Chihuly exhibited throughout the interior spaces and in the outdoor gardens. Spiky sculptures, tall rods, petal-shaped bowls, and giant, colorful glass floats fill the galleries and the intimate gardens.
Gardens and Glasshouse. © Chihuly Studio, All Rights Reserved.
Dale Chihuly is an American glass artist born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1941. He began experimenting with glassblowing in the 1960s, earning a Master of Science degree in sculpture under the first glass program in the United States at University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design. A Fulbright Fellowship allowed him to travel to the island of Murano in Venice, where he learned about the team approach to glassblowing at the Venini Glass Factory. Since then, his large-scale glass sculptures have been installed and displayed around the world, with his work in more than 200 museum collections.
Space Needle reflected in floats in the Garden © Chihuly Studio, All Rights Reserved.
Chihuly Garden and Glass opened in 2012 and includes many iconic Chihuly artworks and installations in the galleries, gardens, and the immense Glasshouse. From your first step into the galleries to the theater at the end of your visit, you’ll be immersed in the beauty and unique shapes and colors of Chihuly’s glassworks. Colorful sculptures hang from the ceilings, glass floats and tendrils seem to grow from the earth in the gardens, and the suspended glass in the Glasshouse glows in even the dreariest Seattle weather.
“Sealife Tower,” 2012. Detail, “Sealife Tower,” 2012. © Chihuly Studio, All Rights Reserved.
The Sealife Room features one of Chihuly’s masterpieces that beachcombers will especially enjoy, the 20-foot tall “Sealife Tower.” Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Dale Chihuly has always been greatly inspired by water and the sea. Sea glass was the first of his many personal collections. The colors integrated into the tower are inspired by the Puget Sound and his childhood collection of sea glass.
Colorful sea glass (Kirsti Scott).
The tower was created in 2011 for Chihuly Garden and Glass and is displayed on a pedestal of black plexiglass to mimic the reflection of water. “I made the Sealife Tower to show how important the water is to my work,” said Dale Chihuly. Tucked between the blue, flowing waves of glass are beautiful golden sea stars, jellyfish, stingrays, octopuses, and nautilus shells. Dale Chihuly explains, “I’ve made a Sealife Tower 20 feet high, and it includes a lot of sea creatures in hopes that people will enjoy identifying them.” It’s fun to walk around the tower and see how many there are.
The Glasshouse features an immense sculpture suspended from the roofline. This 100-foot-long sculpture is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures and the red, orange, and yellow glass pieces that make up the artwork bring to mind colorful Washington wildflowers.
“Double Turquoise Reeds,” 2012. © Chihuly Studio, All Rights Reserved.
Wander the meandering paths through the Garden to see sculptures, floats, and more in an impossible range of colors and shapes. Plants, trees, grasses, and flowers mix with the artworks creating an otherworldly garden. There are surprises around every corner of the Garden, and don’t forget to look up to see the Seattle Space Needle towering above it all.
Glassblowing demonstration. © Chihuly Studio, All Rights Reserved.
Leave time for the glassblowing demonstration offered in the 1967 Airstream “Community Hot Shop,” located in the outdoor Art Plaza. Local glass artists show off their skills, creating master glassworks in front of a live audience. The documentary film in the Theater gives you a peek into the life and work of Dale Chihuly, and the Bookstore is filled with beautiful handmade glass sculptures and items inspired by the colorful glassworks.
Space Needle, Seattle Center Monorail, and the Museum of Pop Culture at Seattle Center (Jose Luis Stephens/Shutterstock.com).
Catch the Seattle Center Monorail on your way there or back, check out the Museum of Pop Culture next door, and if the weather is clear, head up the Space Needle for endless views of Seattle and beyond.
Chihuly Garden and Glass is open year-round. Check the calendar at chihulygardenandglass.com for hours and special event closures. Search online for combination tickets to visit the Space Needle the same day and save money on both tickets.
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This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 42 May/June 2024.
