The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle, Washington

If you find yourself in Seattle and are looking for something to do, you can do no better than to visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.

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The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle, Washington — The Seattle Space Needle forms a wonderful background to the Chihuly Glass House. Courtesy of Karen Gough

By Karen Gough

9/19/2023Updated: 9/19/2023

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If you find yourself in Seattle and are looking for something to do, you can do no better than to visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. It is absolutely beautiful.

Dale Chihuly is a glass artist extraordinaire. Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941, he studied architecture and interior design at the University of Washington and then studied glass at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also received a Fulbright Fellowship at the Rhode Island School of Design, which allowed him to study the artistry of glass in Venice, known as the “glassblowing capital of the world.”

After teaching glassblowing at the Rhode Island School of Design, Mr. Chihuly began to develop an international reputation as a glass artisan.

The Garden is designed to complement Chihuly’s outdoor glass installations. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — The Garden is designed to complement Chihuly’s outdoor glass installations. Courtesy of Karen Gough

What Makes Chihuly Glass Unique?

Glassblowing is an ancient art. It was developed during the 1st century B.C. by Syrian craftsmen in Jerusalem. The Roman Empire greatly expanded the art of glassblowing. From there, it spread to the Middle East, Egypt, and Europe—especially Venice.

Blown glass was mostly used to create storage vessels such as jars, bottles, and vases. Symmetry and form were the important characteristics. What sets Chihuly glass apart is the artist’s rejection of these boundaries.

Mr. Chihuly allows gravity and centrifugal force to organically shape his molten glass. His website, www.chihuly.com/life, states, “Asymmetry and irregularity is a defining principle of his work.”

Chihuly’s glass takes on organic shapes. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — Chihuly’s glass takes on organic shapes. Courtesy of Karen Gough

Chihuly glass is also unique in that it is made by a team of artisans. He used to do all the work himself, but this changed after he lost the sight in his left eye in a 1976 car accident and later dislocated his shoulder. Even though Mr. Chihuly could no longer do the heavy lifting that most of his glass work required, and though his depth perception was adversely affected, he discovered that he could still create with the help of a team.

He makes drawings for the studios to reference as they carry out his designs, while he also directs them onsite in how to shape and construct his large exhibits.

A Chihuly drawing showing his rough idea of a glass squid on an oval sphere. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — A Chihuly drawing showing his rough idea of a glass squid on an oval sphere. Courtesy of Karen Gough

Mr. Chihuly has glass in museums and exhibits all over the world. His glass appears in unexpected places as well. For instance, there is a two-story Chihuly glass chandelier that welcomes all who enter the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Mountain View, California.

A Chihuly glass chandelier, called “Joyous,” hangs at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Mountain View, California. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — A Chihuly glass chandelier, called “Joyous,” hangs at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Mountain View, California. Courtesy of Karen Gough

And then there is the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle.

The Chihuly Glass Museum in Seattle

In 2010, Mr. Chihuly was invited by the City of Seattle and the Jim Wright family (owners of the Seattle Space Needle) to build a glass museum. Per the museum’s audio tour, Mr. Chihuly was excited to accept, because he always wanted to “design and build, and incorporate a glasshouse into an exhibition.”

The museum opened in 2012. It features 50 years’ worth of Mr. Chihuly’s work and includes a glasshouse, an outdoor garden featuring Chihuly glass, and eight galleries. There is also a theater that shows short videos about some of Mr. Chihuly’s worldwide exhibits.

Mr. Chihuly designed everything about the museum, including the colors of the walls. A tour guide told visitors that Mr. Chihuly purposely kept barriers around displays to a minimum because he “wants everyone to be immersed in the art.” However, she hastened to add, “Please remember to not touch any artwork.”

The Sealife Room

Walking into the dark Sealife Room, one is immediately drawn to a tower of blue glass—20 feet high—standing on a large black disc. The kelp-like glass undulates and curves like water, and golden sea creatures are interspersed in it. The black Plexiglas of the disc mirrors the whole structure, like reflections on the surface of water.

The Sealife Tower rises 20 feet high. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — The Sealife Tower rises 20 feet high. Courtesy of Karen Gough

Golden sea creatures peek out from spirals of glass. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — Golden sea creatures peek out from spirals of glass. Courtesy of Karen Gough

The Persian Ceiling

The Persian Ceiling is in a long gallery with a ceiling that is lit from above. The ceiling holds a huge assortment of glass of all different sizes and colors, resting on a flat glass pane. Colors from the glass dance and reflect on the walls of the gallery.

The glass in the Persian Ceiling was influenced by Mr. Chihuly’s interest in Persian, Roman, and Egyptian glass.

In the audio tour, Mr. Chihuly says: “In creating the Persian Ceiling, I was trying to make something that people had never seen before. So you walk under there and you look up and all of a sudden you have to start figuring out what you’re looking at and what is it, and how does it make you feel? I like to make people feel good.”

The color, forms, and figures of Chihuly glass allows the imagination to run wild. (Courtesy of Karen Gough) — The color, forms, and figures of Chihuly glass allows the imagination to run wild. Courtesy of Karen Gough

Mille Fiori

The Mille Fiori room is a garden of glass. Mr. Chihuly was influenced by his mother’s garden in Tacoma, where he grew up.

In the audio tour, he says: “I would get to play in the garden and be around all these beautiful, natural forms. It also had a big influence on me, I think, in terms of color.”