Chihuly Garden and Glass

Today, Will and I had the opportunity to visit the newly-opened Chihuly Garden and Glass, the largest display of Chihuly glass in the world, at the Seattle Center. We’ve been meaning to go all summer. The forecast called for sun and mild temperatures, so off we went! I’ve used Will’s photos, taken with a wider angle lens than mine, for this post.

I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but the exhibition exceeded our expectations and is a wonderful addition to the Seattle Center. It replaces the former Fun Forest amusement park.

The interior galleries, which visitors walk through first, illuminate major facets of Chihuly’s career. One of our favorites features glass forms of varied shapes and vibrant colors spilling over the edges of two large wooden boats.

A glass conservatory aka Glasshouse visually connects the nearby Pacific Science Center and Space Needle.

The Garden is anchored by four monumental sculptures. The largest, named Sun, sits atop a bed of black mondo grass. Somehow Will managed to get all of the people standing in front of this to vanish for a moment!

Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about the names of the other three major sculptures in the garden. This green tower looks almost tropical.

The garden, designed by Chihuly along with landscape designer Richard Hartlage, features Chihuly pieces sprouting in color groupings (orange, purple, black and blue) amid well-paired plantings.

We’ll definitely be returning for an evening tour of the gardens sometime this fall.