Chihuly Nights Magic at the Dallas Arboretum

The Chihuly art glass exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum has created quite a buzz.  There's good reason for all this excitement.
 
  
When we planned to visit family in the Dallas area the Chihuly exhibit was on my must-see list.  We opted for the Chihuly Nights show and were not disappointed.

Arriving at 8 PM, there was still plenty of light.  This Mexican Hat and Horn Tower near the entrance seemed very appropriate for a Texas garden display.

Just as the sun was setting the lights began to glow on these dramatic pieces arranged around the central lawn

Yellow Icicle Tower

At 30 feet high this tower is an iconic piece in the exhibit.  Below it mimics the nearby yucca, and a bed of purple gomphrena provides a complementary color contrast.

Plenty of white and light color annuals were planted throughout the gardens making it easy to see the beds at night.

Tiger Lilies

Niijima Floats named for the glass floats used by Japanese fisherman.



Next we headed for the reflecting pools in A Woman's Garden to see the boats at sunset.  The endless edge pool overlooking White Rock Lake made the perfect setting at twilight, which was a jaw-dropping sight.

This is the Float Boat carrying Niijima floats.

 
  
This one is Carnival Boat

Amazing glass work details on the Carnival Boat

There are 14 exhibits of Chihuly sculpture, some containing multiple pieces.

The Sun

Persian Pond, with lily pads both glass and real ones

Citron Green and Red Tower, about 20 feet tall is on a small hill

According to the volunteer docents, each piece is shipped disassembled and reassembled on site.  There seemed to be hundreds of pieces in this work.

At the far end of the gardens are a wall of modern waterfalls.  Three glass displays were placed in the water for an exquisite effect with the waterfall backdrops.


 
Blue and Pink Marlins

Neodymium and Blue Reeds

Turquoise and Clear Eelgrass

Elegant Red Reeds in the circular fountain

Dallas Star was created especially for this exhibit.  The blue and white glittery star seems quite appropriate to Dallas, home of the Cowboys, and also captures the spirit of Dallas bling.



The gardens were very crowded early on, but around 9:30 PM the crowds thinned out significantly and that's when the magic happened -- we practically had the place to ourselves

White Belugas



We circled back around to the formerly crowded ponds which were now wide open

Neodymium Reeds

Silvered Hornets

Back across the lawn we observed this illuminated art display by a different artist that appears to be part of the permanent collection.

Moving on.  Down through the Fern Dell there are beautiful blue glass pieces placed in a small creek.

Turquoise Reeds

Blue Marlins

I've read that the Dallas Arboretum would like to acquire these pieces to remain in the Fern Dell.

It's rare these days that my husband and I would find ourselves closing down any place, but that's just what happened at the Dallas Arboretum last week when we attended Chihuly Nights exhibit.  At 10:23 pm, 23 minutes after the official closing time, we headed to the exit trailed by the security cart.  They were polite, of course, and we were already making our way to the exit (sort of -- not quite a straight line).  We weren't the very last ones out.  Next to last, but who's counting right?

The night displays far exceeded all expectations, it was magic.

The show runs through November 5, 2012.

P.S.  This was post #100.  What better way to celebrate this milestone than with these beautiful glass sculptures.