[huge_it_slider id=”14″]
Dale Chihuly’s picture hangs at the entrance of his reassembled collection inside a new building off Central Avenue.
Greeting attendees with a smile, an eye patch and two watches, the visionary who pioneered blown glass as fine art invites viewers to marvel at his life’s work.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Chihuly Collection reopened at 720 Central Ave., right next to the Morean Arts Center.
The Morean Arts Center owns the Chihuly Collection. Andy Schlauch, the executive director of the Chihuly Collection, says Morean’s ownership is a primary reason for the relocation of the exhibit.
Schlauch notes that previously museumgoers would visit the Morean Art Center on Central and have an interest in seeing the Chihuly exhibit, only to realize that it was a mile away.
“The Beach Drive location was fabulous, but the distance was hard,” Schlauch said. “Many of our visitors would just say, ‘I’ll leave it until next time.’”
Originally, the art center sought a location close to Central Avenue for Chihuly’s collection, but no spaces were available and they settled on Beach Drive. The new building’s construction took over 18 months.
Chihuly’s work is featured in more than 200 museums worldwide, but very few are dedicated solely to his work.
“Here, we’re just dedicated to one artist,” said Schlauch.
The previous exhibit location closed on Aug. 1 to move the installations to the new building.
To install Chihuly’s complex works of art, the Morean Art Center enlisted an art installation company called Denny Park Fine Arts. The company worked closely with Chihuly to understand the process.
“They were trained by Chihuly’s people to install the work. We handle the smaller pedestal pieces,” said Schlauch.
Chihuly’s larger works, such as “Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier” and “Tumbleweeds,” are made with a stainless steel armature and wire.
The pieces must be put together one by one, but they aren’t numbered. Instead, they’re labeled “top,” “middle” and “bottom.”
“It looks different every time it’s installed. That’s part of Chihuly’s aesthetic,” said Schlauch. “He likes it to be malleable.”
The new location for the Chihuly Collection is 11,500 square feet, larger than Beach Drive’s 9,800 square-foot exhibit.
The increased area gives visitors more room to digest the larger works of art.
Construction on the Collection’s new home is not yet completed. In January, the Morean Arts Center hopes to open a 4,200 square foot enclosed event space outside.
The area will display more of Chihuly’s work along with plants indigenous to Florida.
The Morean Arts Center offers a student discount, which will cost students $12.95, instead of the $19.95 for adults.
The price of the ticket also includes a live glass blowing demonstration at the Morean’s Glass Studio & Hot Shop across the street.
Photos by Devin Rodriguez | TCN, Nicole Carroll | TCN and Ryan Callihan | TCN
