Almost three years ago, I posted pictures of the Christmas lights at the Cheekwood mansion in Nashville. This year, we bought a season pass to Cheekwood for the first time. Their current exhibit is artist Dale Chihuly, an American glass sculptor. His work is displayed throughout the gardens, and we had a wonderful time looking at all the sculptures as we walked the grounds. Are you familiar with Chihuly’s work?
Chihuly is amazing. Saw his work a few years back at the Dallas Arboretum. Would love to see again some day.
Those are absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
I think a more reasonable question would be is there anyone NOT familiar with his work. It’s iconic.
Umm, I’m not, but I honestly don’t think I’ve been missing anything. I’d rather go to a great library.
I don’t see how anyone could fail to appreciate what this artist can do with glass. Glass! It’s even more amazing when you realize he is blind in one eye. Plus I don’t know how they manage to transport the sculptures for exhibition all over the world without breaking them. They look so delicate yet are able to be out in the elements and be moved. 8:25, you should see more of his work, up close. Maybe you’d be impressed.
I haven’t seen any of Chihuly’s work in person but I have heard of him and seen some pictures of his work which is awesome. But I never seen a picture of the tree in your first picture. That is absolutely stunning and I wonder how long it took Dale to make that sculpture. Amazing workmanship!!!.
This is the first time that I see work from this artist and I like it a lot. The way the glass sculptures fit into the area where they have been placed is very pleasing. And it inspires me to check if a glass artist in the Netherlands, where I live, makes similar sculptures that would fit in our garden and would fit our budget.
Janny
That is very interesting, I had never heard of him. Thanks for sharing!
Chihuly is my absolute favorite! I wish this pandemic would go away so I could safely travel and see this exhibit. I’ve made it a point to see as much of his work as I can, whether it’s tracking down pieces in cities I travel to, or making special trips where possible. I went to the Biltmore in Asheville, NC a couple years ago (my aunt and uncle live there and my mom and I did a special trip), and their exhibit was fantastic. His indoor exhibits are gorgeous, too, but I love when he puts his work in nature because they complement each other so well! I could stare at his pieces for hours! Glad you got to see it.
I saw some lighting fixture designs by him in a cruise ship atrium. He does amazing work!
Those are gorgeous sculptures. I looked up the Cheekwood and will absolutely have to visit if I’m ever in the Nashville area. Have you ever been to the Huntington Library and Gardens?
There is a glass blowing competition on Netflix called Blown Away. I watched it last year and enjoyed it. It can move slowly but I was hooked after the first episode. It’s rated TV-14, I can’t remember why but maybe from swearing.
Hi Julie,
I haven’t been to the Huntington Library and Gardens. Where is it? That glass blowing competition sounds really neat. We will definitely put that on our watch list. Thanks!
Ellie
Hi Ellie,
The Huntington is in San Marino, CA. It’s about 20 minutes north east of Los Angeles and just south of Pasadena. It has a museum exhibit area, research library, and botanical gardens. It even has a cactus garden. Jinger Vuolo has visited a few times. Seeing the Cheekwood made me think you might enjoy it.
It’s a great place to spend a day if you’re ever in the area. Pricey but there are free days if you can coordinate a visit with a vacation.
I do remember that now. Sounds lovely! Do live nearby? It’s always great to have places like that in one’s area.
Ellie
I grew up about 15 minutes away. Yes, it is wonderful to have places like these close by. They used to host a Renaissance festival with people in costumes and all sorts of activities and had Christmas events. I have some great memories with my family there. Thank you for your post, it sent me down memory lane!
My pleasure! I have always wanted to attend a Renaissance festival.
So beautiful! I love glass art, thank you for sharing!
Never heard of Chihuly, but I do appreciate art,so thank you Ellie for sharing.
I love Chihuly’s work. I’ve only seen a couple pieces of his work when we’ve traveled. How exciting it must have been to see several of his pieces on display at the same time! And what a gorgeous place to feature those amazing glass sculpture! I watched a pastry show once where the pastry chef duplicated a glass chandelier that Chihuly had done. She did it in blown sugar. Both the piece and the cake sculpture were absolutely amazing. Ellie, thank you for sharing your travels with us! They are some of my favorite blog entries. I appreciate your great pictures; and, your writing is always so descriptive and interesting.
Thank you for the kind words about my writing, Barb. I’m grateful to have you as a reader.
Ellie