When the Dale Chihuly installation opened on June 25 at one of my favorite and annual local pilgrimages, the New York Botanical Gardens I was in no rush. This was partly because I'm simply not a fan of glass blowing and glass art--because glass art mostly looks to me like everything I've seen a thousand times before in Soho art galleries but also because the installation was pretty much panned by the art critic in The New York Times. Dale Chihuly, for those of you unfamiliar with the world of glass art, is probably the most famous glass artist in the world. If you're interested, you can learn much more about him through his website.
Well, with summer coming to an end and Fall soon upon us, I made my annual pilgrimage to the Botanical Gardens.
As it turns out I couldn't disagree more with the art critic for The New York Times.
What the critic saw as an unfair competition between nature and art, garish, predictable and even "sloppy," I saw as an extraordinary, unique, astonishing, fabulous and wonderful visual and emotional symphony between nature, art, space, light and imagination.
The New York Botanical Garden is a grand and magical place on its own. Chihuly takes it to another supernatural and alien dimension. With the eye of a Japanese Zen monk, he has appreciated and unified natural light, shadows, the lay of the land and the presence and absence of nature to create something that is much bigger than either the garden or the art alone.
The installation remains in place through October 29 and is most certainly an experience that will not be repeatable. For the New Yorker who dreads a trip to the Bronx for whatever silly reasons, the New York Botanical Garden is a mere 20 minute train ride from Grand Central Terminal.
My own photographs can't even begin to capture the wonder of being there but hopefully they'll be sufficient to convince you to make the journey to this other-worldly experience.
The first time I stood in the lobby of the Bellagio in Las Vegas and looked up at the Chihuly ceiling it was so awesome it made me dizzy. [Actually, my friends would say, "dizzier than usual."] His work is beyond actual description. I wonder if this is the same exhibit as the one we had in Chicago a couple of years ago? A couple of pictures look familiar but others look new.
Posted by: mike | Wednesday, 13 September 2006 at 07:46 AM
Wonderful photographs. I'm really sorry that I can't see it in person!
Posted by: Steven Nelson | Wednesday, 13 September 2006 at 07:51 AM
The photos are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Kenneth | Wednesday, 13 September 2006 at 12:02 PM
And the lesson is? Don't rely on media paid critics to advise you what to see.
Posted by: Alec | Wednesday, 13 September 2006 at 04:51 PM
AMAZING!
Posted by: sue | Wednesday, 13 September 2006 at 05:15 PM
.
he needs to bring his works back to the gallery. they look "intruding" in the natural environtment.
just imagine Andy Warhols in your backyard...
Posted by: dexx | Wednesday, 13 September 2006 at 09:34 PM
There is an incredible installation (supposedly the largest single installation of a Chihuly work) of his at the Indianapolis Childrens Museum (which happens to be the largest childrens museum in the world) called Fireworks of Glass.....its 5 stories tall and really amazing. The best part of it is that they installed it so that it starts at the first floor, so you can look up under and through it. They have also opened an interactive exhibit alongside it to teach children about glassblowing.....
Posted by: David Lueck | Thursday, 14 September 2006 at 11:31 AM
Saw his work in St. Louis. Breathtaking! Inspiring!
Posted by: Desert Shamu | Sunday, 17 September 2006 at 12:24 PM