Chihuly Garden and Glass is an exhibit in the Seattle Center directly next to the Space Needle, showcasing the studio glass of Dale Chihuly. It opened in May 2012 at the former site of the defunct Fun Forest amusement park in Seattle, Washington.
The project features three primary components: the Garden, the Glasshouse, and the Interior Exhibits, with significant secondary spaces including a 90-seat café with additional outdoor dining, a 50-seat multi-use theater and lecture room, retail, and lobby spaces, and extensive public site enhancements beyond the Garden. The 100-foot-long installation inside the Glasshouse is one of Chihuly’s most enormous suspended sculptures. Designed with the help of architect Owen Richards, the facility was awarded LEED silver certification from the USGBC.
Dale Chihuly
Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for over a decade.
In 1968, after receiving a Fulbright Fellowship, he went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice. He observed the team’s approach to blowing glass, which is critical to how he works today. In 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as fine art.
Galleries
The eight galleries and three Drawing Walls offer a comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly’s significant series of works. The artworks demonstrate how he pushed the boundaries of glass as an art medium in concept, execution, and presentation.
Glasshouse
The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. A 40-foot tall glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space, the Glasshouse is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories. The installation in the Glasshouse is an expansive 100-foot-long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows, and amber. It is one of Chihuly’s most enormous suspended sculptures made of many individual elements. The perception of the artwork varies greatly with natural light and as the day fades into night. Bed Bug Exterminator Seattle
Garden
Chihuly has shown his artwork in botanical gardens worldwide, but this was his first time working with a landscape designer to create a space unlike any park or exhibition elsewhere. The unique plant collection is chosen to complement Chihuly’s work, and the striking colors and forms of the trees, plants, and flowers create a rich backdrop for the art. With an ever-changing, lush landscape, those who visit will enjoy a different experience with each new season.
Theater
The Theater presents short videos on Chihuly’s working process — interviews, glassblowing, working onsite doing installations and exhibitions. Visitors will see the choreography in the hot shoot shop as the team executes its vision. The Theater is a gathering place for lectures and educational and community events in a state-of-the-art audio-visual environment. “If I had not been a sculptor or an artist, I would love to have been a film director or an architect.”
Address: 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA
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