Chihuly Collection — Attraction in Saint Petersburg

Words cannot explain the experience that I had here of multiple artgasms, more powerful than even the backstage touring of Bluebeard! The exhibit allows the viewer space and time alone with the work. It is much more intimate than I have ever experienced Chihuly. From the lobby filled with original Chihuly art works for sale, to an individual piece, where you have time to really breathe, and think, and be, to the the outright explosion of color and light before you in some sort of concerto of compositions that go beyond anything that any visual artist has ever been able to achieve before, as Chihuly creates a 3-D fantasy world where color jumps and plays and laughs all around you.

And angels! Angels are heard singing in seraphim as all of your senses go reeling.

This is the first artgasm.

I won't go into too much detail as to spoil it for others, much less interfere with the artist's intimacy with the viewers of thos work, however there are many more pieces, (and artgasms) within this exhibit. And they get bigger and better as you go through it, ending in the forest.

Because the very best shows always end in a forest.

Congratulations to Dale Chihuly on what I have experienced to behold as his single greatest installation in the contingent United States. The fact that he, Dale Chihuly, installed, or supervised installation of all of these pieces is the very back bone of the success of the work, itself. Dale's energy is felt throughout the space, knowing that every angle I looked went through his eye first, and he approved to his own standards.

Every element was thoughtfully planned and executed. Every reflection, every glint of light, every trace of color upon the wall behind a piece, all of that was planned and mentally painted in reality for us to see by Dale.

He is beyond brilliant and I would just love to hang out with him one day on his houseboat and make art alongside him. Because he's my number one favorite artist/pirate on the planet.

Thank you St. Petersburg for this exhibit. And what wonderful love that you all have given to arts education. Thank you, thank...

Charming Chihuly Bucket list. We were in St. Petersburg for four days to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. I have been fascinated with Dale Chihuly for some time and since we will not get to Seattle to see his premier work, I was excited to learn about the first installation of his work in a building designed for that purpose. Chihuly is a pioneer in the studio glass movement and leads in the development of complex structures and environmental art.

While the display is smaller, the pieces are nonetheless impressive. Several chandeliers grace the ceiling of the building and range in size from 3-30 feet in length and are made up to 1,000 elements of glass including one of the most famous, "Iconic Ruby Red Icicle." One walkway features many pieces in the ceiling making you want to lie down and gaze up at the beauty. Glass-related gifts, books and other items are available in the gift shop.

We did not find any discounts or coupons for entry and paid $18 each for the senior rate. However, admission covers entry to the Morean Arts Center directly across the street for glass blowing demonstrations on the hour. This is a must to see how a hot, sweaty, tricky trade that requires intense concentration and timing results in beautiful glass art. Viewers sit on bleachers in a covered area at the back of the center. The glass blower and his fellow colleague have been blowing glass for 10 years. One of the glass blowers lived in Venice for a few years and studied in Murano.

The furnace temperatures range from 1,000 to 2,000 degrees F. Many steps are required to create one of the scalloped pieces similar to those we saw in the collection. It takes 24 hours for the final pieces to cool in the coolers in the demo area. One of the trickiest parts is separating the glass from the rod which the pair did with finesse and success. We watched as the piece was widened and color added to the rim.

Friends have mentioned seeing his work in Milwaukee and Madison, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Columbus, OH, Nashville and at the Biltmore in...

Dale Chihuly is a legend. Some artists are just elite in their own rights. Chihuly is one of these when it comes to glass art, holy cow. I absolutely love seeing Chihuly art in museums, so there being a whole collection of just his art in St. Pete is fated destiny (double duty, I know).

It’s pretty much as awesome as you’d imagine, though it’s definitely a smaller exhibit which is the only disappointing part. You’d really have to drag out the better part of an hour to make it a long visit. But the pieces that are included here are still well worth seeing, and the admission is cheaper than a lot of the museums nearby. Plus, you don’t usually have to reserve a time slot really ahead of time.

There’s also another fun addition to admission to the collection: you can go across the street to the Morean Arts Center and watch a free glass glowing demo!! Tom, who was working the collection when we went told us all about it and was so awesome. Watching glass blowers craft their work right in front of your eyes is such a neat and unusual experience.

The Chihuly exhibit is a magical, colorful walk of brilliance. It makes for such a fun...