Chihuly’s glass art in all its shapes & colors made our imaginations dance in St. Petersburg

Photos by MARY RICHE/Text by CHUCK OFFENBURGER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 19, 2022 — The artist’s Slovakian last name, “Chihuly,” sounds like some kind of folk dance, doesn’t it?  And, let me tell you, his glass artistry makes your imagination dance! 

On our way to a stay on Marco Island, Fla., we overnighted in St. Petersburg, and before we left that city, we took in a tremendous permanent collection here of the glass art of Dale Chihuly, a native of Tacoma, Wash. The two of us have seen different Chihuly installations, indoors and outdoors, from coast to coast.  We both felt like this one gives you a feeling of being really immersed in the detailed artistry. Part of that is that you “meet” the artist in an excellent video which runs continuously when the exhibit is open. 

In our photos here, we wanted to show a couple of pieces with one or othe other of us in the photo to give you a sense of scale.  But Mary also shot extreme close-ups “to try to record what my eye was seeing at another level. Sometimes I feel like the lens of my eye is an extension of my camera, and I want to capture it in a still photo.”

1 Glass garden 40 ft long 15 ft wide 15 ft tall.jpg

This eye-popping installation, nicknamed the “Glass Garden,” is 40 feet long, 15 feet wide and up to 15 feet tall!  A wonderful thing about Chihuly exhibits is that, as a sign on the wall explains, people are encouraged to take photographs and post them on social media, too.

2 Home of the Chiluly Collection in St Petersburg FL.jpg

Home of the Chiluly Collection in the Central Arts District of downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., across the street from the Morean Arts Center.

3 Chihuly in early years.jpg

A large photo that tells of the early career of Dale Chihuly.

4 Chihuly in more recent years.jpg

Chihuly in more recent years.  He lost the site in one eye in a car accident in the 1970s.  Soon after, he had a severe shoulder injury in a body surfing incident, and that compromised his ability to lift and use the heavy glass blowing equipment.  Thereafter, he developed a “team apoproach” to his art, with several other glass artists working as his long-term employees — and they’ve been very prolific the past 40 years.

5 Mary in Macchia Forest as Chilhuly titled it.jpg

Mary Riche standing in front of a display titled “Macchia Forest” and featuring these huge creations — like cups or opened flowers or bowls.

6 Chuck O in a hallway with a Chihuly ceiling.jpg

This photo may initially be confusing to look at, but it’s Chuck Offenburger walking in a hallway under a special Chihuly ceiling.

7 Mary photographing boatload of glass balls.jpg

Look close and you’ll see Mary photographing a boat load of very colorful glass balls and a few others floating on water outside the boat.

8 Boat full of balls with reflection in water too.jpg

Here’s the photo Mary was shooting of the boat full of balls.

9 Mary getting another close-up.jpg

Mary getting a close-up of another amazing Chihuly piece.

10 Red spears close up.jpg

Red spears to the right.

11 Red spears pointing left.jpg

Red spears to the left.

12 Fantastic chandelier.jpg

What a fantastic chandelier!

13 Blue glass by Mary.jpg

A whole lot of blue.

14 Blue and black tangled strings.jpg

Tangled beauty in blue and black.

15 Glass garden close up.jpg

Close up of the “Glass Garden.”

16 Reddish close up.jpg

The color, the lines, the detail, the flow — amazing!

17 Colorful tentacles.jpg

Colorful tentacles.

18 Yellow and red close up.jpg

How does he think of this? Then how does he make it? Dale Chihuly and his team are surely artistic geniuses.

You can comment on these photos and story by using the handy form below, or you can write directly to our team by email at maryriche@gmail.com or chuck@offenburger.com

 

5 thoughts on “Chihuly’s glass art in all its shapes & colors made our imaginations dance in St. Petersburg

  1. Thanks so much for sharing, Chuck and Mary! I LOVE Chihuly glass creations! A few years ago, three of my Clinton friends and I met in Cedar Rapids to see the (touring) Chihuly glass exhibit at the National Czech and Slovak Museum. The Mayo Clinic has a pretty awesome chandelier in one of their buildings. And, the UNI Music Building also has a piece of Chihuly glass in their foyer.

    Sue Green, Cedar Falls IA

  2. Absolutely beautiful! I saw the Chihuly exhibit last year in Arizona and fell in love with his work. Thanks for sharing!

    Chris Sidwell, Des Moines

  3. Chuck, I just saw a documentary on Gustav Stickley and learned that there is a new (since 2021) museum in St. Pete called the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. It looks spectacular. If you return back through St. Pete, it might be worth a visit — and a column.

    Allison Engel, Palm Desert, CA

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