Dale Chihuly
Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was
introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of
Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass
program in the country at the University of Wisconsin.
In 1968, Dale Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to
work at the "Venini" factory in Venice, Italy. While in Venice,
Chihuly observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the
way he works today.
After
an automobile accident in 1976 in which he lost the sight in his left eye,
Chihuly relinquished the gaffer (chief glassblower) position and turned over
that position to William Morris. Utilizing Morris' substantial talent and
physical strength, Chihuly developed the large scale, multi-colored forms known
as the Macchia series.
His work is included in over two hundred museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including seven honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Chihuly has created many well-known series of works, among them the Baskets, Persians, and Seaforms, but he is also celebrated for large architectural installations. In 1995 he embarked on the multi-faceted international project, "Chihuly over Venice," which involved working in glass factories in Finland, Ireland and Mexico, with the resultant sculptures installed over the canals and piazze of Venice.
Chihuly’s lifelong affinity for glasshouses has grown into a series of exhibitions within botanical settings. His garden exhibition was first presented in 2001 at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago.
In 2005, Chihuly exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London, and at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida in both 2006 and 2007. An exhibition at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania opened in May, 2007.
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