On a recent visit to see family in Dallas I rang an old friend to squeeze in some catching-up time. She happened to be heading out to The Dallas Arboretum for a tour of the Chihuly installation. Another friend from elementary school, Carlyn Ray, happened to be giving to the tour. Carlyn had worked for seven years under Dale Chihuly, and is now a glass blower in her own right in Austin Texas. I had seen a fascinating Chihuly exhibit years ago at the Dallas Museum of Art. This presented an excellent opportunity to reconnect with two long lost friends, enjoy the tranquil beauty of the Arboretum, and witness once again Chihuly’s magic of glass sculpture, this time amongst the gardens and with insider knowledge.
Carlyn gathered our group near the entrance and told us of Dale Chihuly’s childhood in Tacoma, Washington. He grew up alone with his mother after losing his only brother and his father early in his life. He studied architecture and design at University of Washington and continued his education in glass work abroad in Italy and Israel. He first discovered glass blowing by accident in his basement when working with stained glass. He melted several pieces together and picked it up with the end of a pipe. On a whim he blew into the pipe and a glass bubble appeared. Chihuly had found his fancy. In Israel he lived in a Kibbutz which open his eyes to getting things done with teamwork in a small community.
In Italy he witnessed the long guarded traditions of men blowing glass as a team. Chihuly, recognized by his frizzy grey hair and eye patch, no longer does any of the glassblowing himself due to a shoulder injury and vision problems, but he is very involved as he directs his team who must work together on these pieces. Their delicate creation hinders on the timing and coordination of several people. He designs with sketches and vocalizes his ideas during the creation to ensure his artistic vision is in each piece.
As we followed Carlyn through the Arboretum we saw clusters of glass sculptures mixed amongst the greenery as if they were rare plants from a far away planet. Abstract and colorful glass installations decorated waterfalls, towered over us like fantasy-land trees, and floated on the surface of garden ponds. The vibrant colors and sheer size of some of the pieces almost made me forget they were made of glass and were very much as delicate as most glass things are. I’ve heard there are bets amongst Chihuly’s crew as to which pieces would survive the first Dallas hailstorm, most certainly not all.
For most of the summer the installation can be seen in the stunning contrast of the night, fully lit, accompanied by dinner options and live music. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays welcome all at just $22. Walk the gardens and plop down in the grass for live music played at the Arboretum’s amphitheater over looking White Rock Lake. A perfect summer evening, but the exhibit runs through November.
