Glassblowing legend Dale Chihuly brings his work back to Grand Rapids

Chihuly is back after more than 15 years, transforming a popular West Michigan destination into a kaleidoscope of glass sculptures with reflective color.

Grand Rapids — Glassblowing revolutionary Dale Chihuly is returning to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park for the first time since 2010, bringing Michigan's largest-ever exhibition of his work to the 158-acre campus.

The new exhibition, titled CHIHULY: Radiant Forms, opens Saturday, May 2 and runs through November 1, with additional outdoor installations spread throughout the gardens.

This is the third collaboration between the internationally recognized artist and the Grand Rapids venue, said Meijer Gardens President and CEO Charles Burke.

Burke described the connection between Chihuly and the late Fred and Lena Meijer as what underscores West Michigan's strength in attracting world-class artists.

Fred was a creative, using the tapestry of gardens, art and nature all mixed together very much in the same way that Dale takes sand and fire to create unusual, colorful forms that really transcend all types of cultures all throughout the world.

Britt Cornett, who has managed Chihuly's exhibition program for more than 20 years, said discussions about returning to Grand Rapids began about three years ago.

Everything—all of the work that he creates—is site specific, said the director of exhibitions. Having such a familiarity with the garden and understanding that the Japanese garden was essentially a new canvas was very appealing to him.

The exhibition features works in an expanded sculpture gallery and a concentration of pieces in the Japanese Garden. Cornett said Chihuly drew inspiration from a variety of cultures throughout his career, including Japanese fishing buoys known as ukidama.

A site-specific approach designs installations to respond to the gardens architecture and landscape.

The interior gallery features a chronological journey through a 50-year creative evolution, including drawings that have been essential to Chihuly's creative process.

The exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to lose yourself in Chihuly's career and in individual pieces, said Suzanne Ramljak, Meijer Gardens vice president of collection and curatorial affairs.

Chihuly studied glassblowing in Murano, Italy in 1968 through a Fulbright fellowship, becoming one of the first Americans invited to witness the proprietary techniques at the renowned glass center.

If you want to see Chihuly and these fresh approaches to glass art, there's two places to see it in the world right now: Venice and Grand Rapids, Ramljak said.

The show includes works from Chihuly's early series from the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring colorful baskets and cylinders inspired by Indigenous American culture and Venetian glass traditions.

One of the more dynamic works is Millefleur, or thousand flowers, a sprawling composition built from countless floral elements that rises from a reflective surface like an island of glass, shimmering with peacock blues, greens and purples.

The curated gallery experience requires add-on tickets costing $9 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to 13. Members receive a 10 percent discount.

All artwork is created full scale at Chihuly's Seattle studio, then disassembled and shipped in 53-foot container trucks. A team from Seattle spent approximately two weeks working with Meijer Gardens staff to reassemble and install the sculptures on site.

The world needs art — and audacious art that brings people all together — more now than ever, Burke said.

General admission provides access to outdoor installations at 12 locations across campus. The indoor exhibition requires separate timed-entry tickets.