BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art presents the dual exhibition “Chihuly: In the Gallery and In the Forest,” on view June 3 through Aug. 14.
“Chihuly: In the Gallery and In the Forest” showcases over 300 objects composed of 14 bodies of work in the gallery and 10 large-scale outdoor installations by American artist Dale Chihuly. The works are featured both in the gallery and along the newly enhanced North Forest Trail. The exhibition highlights Chihuly’s signature works and newest projects in a museum-wide experience of light, color and masterful forms.
“This will be the first indoor-outdoor exhibition for Crystal Bridges and the first time Chihuly’s works are on view in a natural forest setting,” said Lauren Haynes, Crystal Bridges’ curator, Contemporary Art. “Visitors will be delighted and surprised with the variety of media including glass, works on paper and neon sculptures. Presenting the scope of the artist’s career in a traditional gallery space along with the monumental-scale of the sculptures in the forest will create a unique and memorable experience.”
Admission for this ticketed exhibition is $20 for adults and includes the indoor and outdoor venue. Once the gallery portion closes, the cost will be $10 for “Chihuly: In the Forest,” on view Aug. 16 through Nov. 13. There is no cost for museum members and youth ages 18 and under.
Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly established the glass program at the Rhode Island School of Design and co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. For five decades, he has pushed the boundaries of studio glass and created installations for audiences around the globe; his works have been included in more than 250 museum collections.
Chihuly pioneered irregular, asymmetrical forms by allowing the molten glass to bend, fold, and move according to its own rhythm and gravity. He experimented with size, weight and thinness to create new shapes. And he expanded the size and scale of art glass, with sculptural and architectural installations. During a long career, his stunning creations – vessels, orbs, and chandeliers – have become familiar to art lovers and glass enthusiasts alike.
“Chihuly: In the Gallery” introduces Chihuly as an artist and explores key moments of his work, including objects from the artists’ personal collection such as colorful trade blankets inspired by Native American designs and traditional Native American baskets that inspired series in glass such as his Cylinders, Baskets, Persians and Venetians. Examples of Chihuly’s drawings will fill the walls in the gallery, located near the series they inspired. These drawings are large works on paper using graphite, charcoal, acrylic paint and mixed media.
Works on view for the first time in a museum setting include a bold new series called Rotolo (Italian for “coil”) featuring thick coils of glass, a brand-new series, Glass on Glass, of painted glass drawings inspired by his Ikebana series, and an early textile work Weaving with Fused Glass. This work was created in 1965 and incorporated glass woven into a textile, representing a point of discovery for a young Chihuly, who was studying interior design and interested in weaving when he began experimenting with the medium of glass.
Chihuly’s art is inspired by the natural world and international experiences, as evident in this outdoor exhibition which features bold and larger-than-life installations like the Belugas, Red Reeds, neon Tumbleweeds, a Boat and a Sun created especially for the exhibition at Crystal Bridges, featuring a never-before-seen palette of colors. Chihuly chose subtle, yet brilliant golds and clear glass forms, connecting back to Venetian glass traditions, to capture and reflect the natural light of the Ozark forest.