Chihuly in the Garden--that sounds like an exotic plant or creature, but it’s really the name of an art exhibition created by Dale Chihuly and housed at Atlanta Botanical Garden through October.
An American glass sculptor and artist, Chihuly is highly acclaimed for site-specific art installations in public spaces as well as exhibitions in over 250 museums and gardens around the world.
Chihuly’s work was shown at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for the first time in 2004. My husband and I spent a hot and sunny afternoon that September moving through the garden from sculpture to sculpture. It brought together our mutual love of gardens and art.
So, when we heard that Chihuly was back this year, we knew immediately that we would go. This year, the exhibition has more than double the number of sculptures--19 of them, plus a few permanent ones. The Garden also offers the option to see the art at night. We’ve heard from many people that the exhibition lit up after dark is spectacular, so we bought tickets for the evening hours.
Chihuly's Sol del Citron, 2014
On Friday, I met my husband at his office, and we drove over to the Garden. After a quick dinner at the Café, we started our stroll along the Canopy Walk, a series of pathways and bridges that wind both above the Garden and on ground level. The shade from the canopy and a soft breeze blowing through the trees cooled the temperature and made the walking even more pleasant.
Chihuly Nights has drawn large crowds throughout its time at the Garden, so we were prepared for a lot of people. But we were pleasantly surprised. At the start of the evening, we were among the few to see the sculptures still in daylight.
The Garden provided the perfect backdrop for the striking and colorful works of art. The canopy overhead and slow arrival of dusk softly filtered the sun’s rays so that many sculptures seemed to glow even without the use of artificial lights.
Chihuly's Red Reeds, 2014
In several places, it was just the two of us. We had plenty of time to talk about the art, take photos, and get caught up with each other after a busy week. It made for a special, relaxing date night.
Do you have a botanical garden or art or glass museum in your area? With the kids back in school and the arrival of fall, it’s a wonderful time of year to plan an outing somewhere that inspires you. Let me know where you go!