Chihuly at The Dallas Arboretum

I'm currently in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for a few days to watch Michigan play Alabama in the Cowboy Classic.  Upon arriving at the airport I saw an ad for a Chihuly art installation at the Dallas Arboretum so on Thursday morning Frank and I headed over to see it.

The first time I had seen any of Chihuly's art was the glass ceiling in the lobby of the Belaggio in Las Vegas back when I was in grad school. I thought the beautiful flowers of brightly colored glass were amazing and I kept walking underneath it staring at the ceiling.

I was really excited to see the Chihuly glass sculptures at the arboretum and they really didn't disappoint. They were beautifully set in the gardens and the fluid shapes seemed like a natural extension of the surroundings.

At the beginning I saw the Blue Marlins and Turquoise Reeds installation along a little creek. Right as I started to walk along the small creekside path the misters started watering the plants. It made a cool foggy effect low to the ground and made the glass sculptures even more enchanting.

A little farther on some large glass spheres called Niijima Floats were nestled in a flower bed. Beyond that Yellow and Scarlet Asymmetrical Towers marked the entrance to the Woman's Garden.

Entering into the Woman's Garden a fountain was decorated with an installation of Neodymium Reeds and Hornet's Nest. I loved the contrast of the straight purple glass soaring to the sky with the curving, twisting shapes of the green seeming to float on the water's surface.

At the end of the Woman's Garden a reflection pool held the Float Boat and Carnival Boat sculptures which were filled with glass. I liked the way the pond in the garden overlooked White Rock Lake for a lovely view and the reflections were spectacular.

Fogelson Fountain was decorated with an installation of Red Reeds. The red reflections among the lily pads in the fountain were quite striking.

Another little pond was filled with an installation called Persian Pond. I loved how the delicate white and clear glass pieces were tinged with black on the edges and mimicked the shapes of the lily pads in the pond. It was also set apart from the main walking paths so I was able to enjoy this piece without throngs of other people nearby.

Throughout the arboretum there were many more lovely sculptures making every turn a discovery of something new. I really enjoyed seeing the installation and if it wasn't for the oppressive heat (Texas in August = hot!) I would have loved to spend a little more time there. If you find yourself in the area before the exhibition closes in November I would highly recommend seeing it.

Do you like Chihuly's sculptures? What have you been doing as summer is winding down?