Editor's note: The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL provided source material to Resource Library Magazine for the following article or essay. If you have questions or comments regarding the source material, please contact the Museum of Fine Arts directly through either this phone number or web address:
January 18 through May 30, 2004
- Dale Chihuly
Museum of Fine Arts,
St. Petersburg and Orlando Museum of Art will present Chihuly Across
Florida: Masterworks in Glass which will be on view January 18 through
May 30, 2004. 
(right:(1) Dale Chihuly, Sky
Blue Basket Set with Cobalt Blue Lip Wraps, 1992, 17 x 15 x 16 inches.
Photo: Claire Garoutte. © Copyright 2003 Dale Chihuly, All rights reserved)
These simultaneous, site-specific exhibitions constitute the largest presentation ever of Chihuly glass and the first time two major art museums have collaborated to show his work at the same time.
"We are proud to help bring Dale Chihuly's cutting edge works to Florida," said Bill Habermeyer, President and CEO of Progress Energy Florida, as well as an MFA trustee. "It speaks to the strength of the arts in Florida that an exhibition of such magnitude has been developed specifically for shows in St. Petersburg and Orlando. We look for this ambitious project to enrich the lives of area residents and attract visitors to both communities."
Chihuly has pushed the limits of the expressive capacity
of glass by creating astonishingly ambitious works. Organized and designed
by the artist, Chihuly Across Florida spotlights classic works and
new large-scale installations. Represented are selections from some of his
best-known series such as the Persians, Baskets, and 
Macchia. Also in the exhibition
are new installations and large-scale sculptures specifically designed for
display at the MFA and the OMA. In addition, visitors can enjoy a documentary
video of Chihuly at work. (left: (2) Dale Chihuly, West Palm Beach,
Florida, 1998. Photo: Terry Rishel; (3) Dale Chihuly, Arona Persian with
Insignia Red Lip Wrap, 1993, 23 x 19 x 27 inches. Photo: Claire Garoutte.
© Copyright 2003 Dale Chihuly, All rights reserved)
At the MFA, for example, Chihuly has created a Spanish Orange Persian in response to one of the Museum's most important and vibrant paintings, Georgia O'Keeffe's Poppy (1927). A large-scale work will also enhance the beauty of the MFA's Membership Garden, and the Chihuly Steinway will be on view and will be played in the Marly Room during part of the show's run. Chihuly designed the exhibitions to complement the very different architectural styles of each museum. The neo-Palladian style of the MFA provides a traditional and intimate setting with indoor gardens, while the OMA's building blends classical elements with contemporary detailing and provides an open, expansive environment.
The museums have joined to create a statewide celebration of glass art, providing a unique cultural opportunity for Florida residents and tourists. bring national and international attention to Florida as a "state of the arts."
Chihuly Across Florida will bring national and international attention to Florida as a "state of the arts."
About the Artist
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, where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.
In 1968, Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the Venini factory in Venice, Italy. While in Venice, he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. In 1971, Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, Washington. With this international glass center, he has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art.
Chihuly is celebrated for his grand architectural installations, such as his Chandeliers that were suspended over the canals and piazzas of Venice in 1996, his Jerusalem Wall of Ice of 1999, and more recently, an exhibition and outdoor installation at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Today his work is included in more than 200 museum and public collections across the globe including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C; Musee des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Paris; Corning Museum of Glass, New York; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas; and Bellagio, Las Vegas. Chihuly has received many awards, including seven honorary doctorates, a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant, a Fulbright Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist grant.
Editor's note: RLM readers may also enjoy these earlier articles:
Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional source by visiting the sub-index page for the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg in Resource Library.
TFAO also suggests these DVD or VHS videos:
Chihuly In Charlotte is a 2000 video directed
by Stuart Grasberg and produced by WTVI, Charlotte Public Television..
glass artist Dale Chihuly is documented
in this absorbing PBS presentation. Chihuly collaborated with master glassblowers
from four countries to achieve his collection of spectacular chandeliers
for public display over the canals of Venice. From Finland to Ireland to
Mexico to Italy, Chlhuly and the participatlng artisans join together for
a creative 90 minute odyssey. An editorial review by Rob Lightner for Amazon.com
says: "Dale Chihuly's gloriously organic glass sculptures grace galleries
and public spaces around the world, and Chihuly over Venice follows the
artist as he visits glassblowing studios across Europe and collaborates
to create chandeliers for the first international Biennale of Glass in
Venice. Behind-the-scenes glimpses of the hot, dirty work are cut in with
shots of the canals and architecture of Venice to create a montage of a
great artist working in a city with a long tradition of artistic excellence.
We also get candid interviews with Chihuly and his assistants, which fill
in the knowledge and history of the man himself, his work, and the community
of glass artists in the Seattle area. Chihuly over Venice is a great package
for anyone intrigued by the artistic process or enchanted by the sensuous
curves of glass."
TFAO does not maintain a lending library of videos or sell videos. Click here for information on how to borrow or purchase copies of VHS videos and DVDs listed in TFAO's Videos -DVD/VHS, an authoritative guide to videos in VHS and DVD format.
Links to sources of information outside of our web site are provided only as referrals for your further consideration. Please use due diligence in judging the quality of information contained in these and all other web sites. Information from linked sources may be inaccurate or out of date. TFAO neither recommends or endorses these referenced organizations. Although TFAO includes links to other web sites, it takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on those other sites, nor exerts any editorial or other control over them. For more information on evaluating web pages see TFAO's General Resources section in Online Resources for Collectors and Students of Art History. Individual pages in this catalogue will be amended as TFAO adds content, corrects errors and reorganizes sections for improved readability. Refreshing or reloading pages enables readers to view the latest updates.
Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.
This page was originally published in 2003 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.
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