Visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass is located next to the Space Needle in Seattle.  Dale Chihuly learned how to melt and fuse glass in 1961 and began experimenting with glass blowing in 1967.  He studied in the US and then worked at the Venini factory on the island of Murano.  In 1971, he was a co-founder of the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington and also founded the Hilltop Artists Program in Tacoma.  After an auto accident in England that left him blind in one eye, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in 1979 (while bodysurfing).  In the 1980s, he directed others work at the Pilchuck Glass School and commented that stepping back allowed him to see the work from more perspectives.  In 2010, the Space Needle Corporation started to organize a Chihuly exhibition hall which opened in 2012.

We purchase our tickets and enter.

At the entrance

The next room shows many of Chihuly's Inspirations, drawn from Puget Sound, gardens, and the art of local indigenous tribes.

Inspirations

Next is the Sealife Room

Sealife

The hallway to the next room is filled by the Persian Ceiling, a series begun in 1986.

Persian Ceiling

From the Persian Ceiling hallway, we enter the Mille Fiori, a "thousand flowers," inspired by his mother's garden.

Mille Fiori

In a similar theme, Ikebana and Float Boats is inspired by the Japanese art of ikebana, shown here in two boats.

Flo

Float boats

A room of chandeliers delights us from above, followed by the Macchia Forest, in which each work is speckled with color.

Chandeliers

Forest

At the end of the indoor exhibition (outdoor is yet to come) is the Glasshouse and Glasshouse Sculpture, the centerpiece of the gardens.  The 100-foot installation is a palette of reds, oranges, yellow, and amber.

Glasshouse

Heading out into the light rain, we explore the outdoors.

Seattle Waterfront and Sculpture Park

We head up to Seattle for dinner at our favorite French restaurant in town, Le Pichet, explore some of the waterfront, and visit Chihuly Gardens to see the spectacular glassware.  We first walk from our hotel over to Pike Place Market and wander through the market and down to the waterfront.  The area has been recently rebuilt with new street orientations, bike lanes, parks, restaurants, stores, and neighborhoods.  We walk on the new walkway along the water to Olympic Sculpture Park.

Along the waterfront

The Olympic Sculpture Park transforms a nine-acre (3.6 hectare) former-industrial site into a space for art.  The park is owned and maintained by the Seattle Art Museum and is filled with a variety of sculptures in a setting with incredible views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.  We wander.

Olympic Sculpture Park

From the park, we head over to the Space Needle (built as a centerpiece for the 1962 World's Fair), view some of the art in that area, then stroll back toward Pike Place Market, passing a lot of great artwork in the streets and on the buildings.

Sculpture near the Space Needle

With views of the Space Needle

Art in the streets

And, a whimsical downspout

The walking has brought us to dinner time and we stop for a cocktail at The Nest, overlooking the harbor, and then walk down the street to Le Pichet, where we share warm purée of salt cod with garlic (and toast on which to spread it) and a roast chicken.

Cocktails at The Nest

View from The Nets

Purée of salt cod with garlic

Half a roast chicken

What a great meal and a great afternoon in Seattle!