Visiting Phoenix? See Chihuly: The Nature of Glass

A stunning exhibit of renowned artist Dale Chihuly's unique glass works 

Chihuly reacquaints us with the experience of life --  Richard K. Nilsen, The Arizona Republic

Have you ever wondered how fast a saguaro cactus grows?   Or which plant is thought to be the oldest living plant in the world?  Well, one of the best places to get answers to these questions and to get a feel of the Sonoran Desert is at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Desert Botanical Garden is one of my favorite places, so when I flew to Phoenix last week to visit my sister, I was excited to learn that the Garden was hosting an exhibit by one of my favorite artists -- Dale Chihuly. 

Since my sister had to work the first day I was there, I drove to the garden with my friend Kathy, who had flown in from Las Vegas that morning.  We were thrilled to see not only one of the world's most diverse collections of succulent plants, but Dale Chihuly's innovative, vibrant glass sculptures as well.

Chihuly:  The Nature of Glass is a must-see exhibit if you are in the Phoenix area.  Featuring new and unique works of glass placed artfully among the Garden's 50,000 plants, this is Chihuly's first installation entirely within a desert garden environment. 

Chihuly's spectacular work is recognizable for it's grand scale and brilliant colors, and can be found in more than 200 museums worldwide.  You can see his creations in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

The Desert Botanical Garden itself sits on some 145 acres, nestled amid the Papago Park buttes.  I'm always surprised at how spread out Phoenix is; it took us about 40minutes to get there from my sister's home in Ahwatukee.

The Garden has five thematic trails illustrating topics such as conservation, desert living, plants and people of the Sonoran Desert, and desert wildflowers. 

After waking up at 3 A.M. that morning, neither Kathy nor I had the time (or energy) to see all of it, but we did make sure to catch most of the glass sculptures which are so cleverly placed among the plants -- in many cases, they are placed among similar looking plants, as though they've sprouted from the ground on their own. 

My brother-in-law, niece and nephew visited the Garden at night ab0ut a week before I arrived, and told me it's especially magical to see the lights illuminating the sculpture.

If you go, the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau offers a free colorful and informative booklet called the Sonoran Desert Discovery Guide.  Keep an eye out for a copy on the information table when you enter the Garden, it's very good.

Chihuly:  The Nature of Glass will be at the Desert Botanical Garden until May 31, 2009.

In case you want to know the answers to my questions (above):

• Creosote is the most common Sonoran Desert plant and is thought to be the oldest living plant in the world. 

• As for saguaro cacti, according to the Sonoran Desert Discovery Guide, they are extremely slow-growing, reaching only a few millimeters after two or three years.  After 10 years, it may measure less than an inch -- a three foot-high specimen may be 20 to 50 years old.

 

Comments

[Boeing Business Jets]

Really a cool place to pay a visit. few of my friends had visited and were blogging abt for weeks