Sunday, May 27, 2012

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.

13 comments:

  1. WOW!! Gorgeous. What a spectacular sight. Love the Float Boat and Persian Pond It is all amazing. I think it is definitely worth a trip to Dallas to see it. I better start planning my trip:)

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    1. It is beautiful and worth the trip, the exhibit is there through early November so there's plenty of time.

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  2. Well, I can see that another visit, at night this time, would not be a waste of time. The sculptures looked so alive during the day, but they seem even more so lit up at night. The Sun must have looked as if it was actually burning. So beautiful. Thanks for showing us.

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    1. Definitely worth it to go back, especially since you have family in the area. Love your take on The Sun burning so bright that is how it seemed looking at through the trees and the details on that one were hard to see.

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  3. These sculptures are amazing! Steph is right...road trip to Dallas! I got a lot of road tripin' to do! Thanks for sharing. And congrats on your 100th post!

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  4. Gorgeous! I especially like those sunset shots, over White Rock Lake.
    I think it just might be worth a trip up to Dallas.
    Thanks for sharing with us.

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  5. These are incredible photos. I wouldn't know even where to begin. You've really captured some great shots here. Congratulations on the 100th post! There were similiar pieces in the Phoenix gardens last year....but not like that!!!! Really beautiful!

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    1. I read that Dale Chihuly does think the Dallas Arboretum show is the best so far. It's hard to beat that pond looking out over the lake.

      Thank you Chris!

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  6. I've seen a couple of posts elsewhere of the exhibit during the daytime. The illuminated night photos are really amazing. I am almost tempted to see it in person.

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    1. It was amazing and fun, might just be worth it for you to leave your beautiful prairie for an evening.

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