Massive, fantastic Chihuly exhibition opens in Grand Rapids – Detroit Metro Times

This spring, the botanical gardens at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park have sprouted strange new forms: giant translucent flowers, neon blue crystals floating in a pond, and a towering 30-foot structure that looks like it could be a cactus made of ice, among others.

The new art exhibition by the renowned Seattle-based glass artist Dale Chihuly leads with a quote declaring his intent: “I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in some way that they’ve never experienced.”

“So he’s given himself his own dare … it’s game on,” chief curator Suzanne Ramljak tells Metro Times.

The eponymous show by the innovative artist, known for his whimsical, blown-glass creations, opens Saturday in Grand Rapids. Though it’s the third time Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has exhibited Chihuly following shows in 2003 and 2010, this latest is its largest yet, featuring more than 150 sculptures — including about a dozen pieces nestled among its 158 acres, with dozens of additional pieces indoors.

The museum has long maintained a relationship with the artist. The late Frederik Meijer, co-founder of the Michigan-based retail chain, and his wife Lena were art appreciators who struck up a friendship with Chihuly, and the museum has three pieces in its permanent collection. Ramljak says the museum worked closely with the 84-year-old artist over the past three years to bring the career-spanning retrospective to fruition, featuring more than 40 years of work dating back to his early experimentations with glass-blowing as an art student.

“I would say that though Dale Chihuly is very well known — he’s even a household name — he is not necessarily known well,” Ramljak says, adding that the exhibition offers a “more complete view of who Dale Chihuly is as an artist” and that he is still working and innovating to this day.

“He hasn’t stopped exploring what glass can do … he’s very much an explorer and curious about what’s possible and not afraid that something will either collapse while it’s being blown, or be too thin, or too big,” she says. “He’s pushing it to its limits.”

Ramljak says despite the challenges posed during the installation of such intricate pieces, the project went off without a hitch thanks to Chihuly’s team of professionals. Some have decades of experience working with him, and they even brought their own lighting designer to help make the pieces really pop.

Access to the outdoor works is included in general admission to the garden, which is $25 for adults. The indoor exhibit, titled Chihuly: Radiant Forms, is a separate $9 ticket and must be booked ahead of time. It features dozens of additional sculptural works, as well as photos, drawings, paintings, artist notes, and a short film titled “One Thing Leads to Another,” narrated by Chihuly. 

Guided walking and tram tours are also available for an additional $9. In the summer, the outdoor garden will even be open late on select days so guests can enjoy the sculptures in the evening light.

The exhibition is open through Nov. 1, and the museum hopes the changing of Michigan’s seasons will entice visitors to make multiple trips.

Ramljak says that on her way to work in recent weeks, she has noticed how one piece in particular, titled “Chartreuse Icicle Tower,” appears to change in the light.

“It’s a different piece every day, when the sun hits it and flashes out from its tips, or when it’s darker and deeper in color,” she says. “And that, I must say, is really the pleasure and the power of an outdoor sculpture park that we have. It is an outdoor museum, and it’s alive … when you put it outdoors, nature adds a whole other dimension of life and color.”

Ticket purchases and more information are available at meijergardens.org.

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