HannahRachel
2006-08-04, 4:57am
Fiori: A Chihuly Garden of Glass
October 7, 2006 – February 25, 2007
Internationally acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly's newest series - Fiori - will be unveiled at the Franklin Park Conservatory in the upcoming fall exhibition Fiori: A Chihuly Garden of Glass. The elaborate glass garden will be designed specifically for the Conservatory, which is the first botanical garden in the world to showcase a Fiori.
Fiori (Italian for "flowers") will feature a major installation of Chihuly's most celebrated glass forms, assembled en masse. The hand-blown glass elements, ranging in size from six inches to 25 feet in height, will be positioned on a 365-square-foot reflective black glass platform. The installation is reminiscent of a vibrant garden landscape in a stunning range of colors.
The Fiori exhibition will also include the restaging of two pieces from the Conservatory's permanent Chihuly Collection - the spectacular Sunset Tower in the Pacific Island Water Garden biome and the dramatic Torchiere in the Desert biome. Other pieces from the Chihuly Collection are already on display and will remain on view for visitors to see during Fiori. These include Chandeliers, Niijima Floats, Anemone Clusters, a Venetian Ceiling, Persians, and drawings on Plexiglas.
The Chihuly Collection was on view at Franklin Park Conservatory during Chihuly at the Conservatory (2003-2004). After its grand success, the collection was purchased for the Conservatory in October 2004 with the support of ten local donors. With this gift, Franklin Park Conservatory is now the only botanical garden and one of few cultural institutions in the world to permanently house a major signature collection of Dale Chihuly's artworks.
To enhance the Fiori exhibition, the Conservatory has just completed garden plans for an elaborate floral display in the Showhouse. The design is a reflection of "millefiori" - a glass technique most often seen in glass paperweights. The technique incorporates colorful, patterned glass canes sliced into designs that look like a mound of flowers. The flower display will feature circular flowerbeds with tightly placed blooms in varying colors and patterns. The exhibition flowers will change seasonally and will include chrysanthemums, poinsettias, cinerarea, and kalanchoe.
Along with the exhibit, artist Hannah Rosner, lead lampwork instructor at Glass Axis, demonstrates lampworking - a technique that uses a tabletop torch to apply heat to cold glass to change its form. Programs begin with a brief talk about the process and finish with demonstrations of basic beads and glass floral techniques. Rosner has an MFA in Theatrical Design and more than fifteen years teaching experience combined with twenty years as a working artist. The event is free with admission.
Saturday, October 14, 2006, 1 - 2 p.m.
Friday, November 24, 2006, 1 - 2 p.m.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 13, 2007, 1 - 2 p.m.
Sunday, February 18, 2007, 2 - 3 p.m.
October 7, 2006 – February 25, 2007
Internationally acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly's newest series - Fiori - will be unveiled at the Franklin Park Conservatory in the upcoming fall exhibition Fiori: A Chihuly Garden of Glass. The elaborate glass garden will be designed specifically for the Conservatory, which is the first botanical garden in the world to showcase a Fiori.
Fiori (Italian for "flowers") will feature a major installation of Chihuly's most celebrated glass forms, assembled en masse. The hand-blown glass elements, ranging in size from six inches to 25 feet in height, will be positioned on a 365-square-foot reflective black glass platform. The installation is reminiscent of a vibrant garden landscape in a stunning range of colors.
The Fiori exhibition will also include the restaging of two pieces from the Conservatory's permanent Chihuly Collection - the spectacular Sunset Tower in the Pacific Island Water Garden biome and the dramatic Torchiere in the Desert biome. Other pieces from the Chihuly Collection are already on display and will remain on view for visitors to see during Fiori. These include Chandeliers, Niijima Floats, Anemone Clusters, a Venetian Ceiling, Persians, and drawings on Plexiglas.
The Chihuly Collection was on view at Franklin Park Conservatory during Chihuly at the Conservatory (2003-2004). After its grand success, the collection was purchased for the Conservatory in October 2004 with the support of ten local donors. With this gift, Franklin Park Conservatory is now the only botanical garden and one of few cultural institutions in the world to permanently house a major signature collection of Dale Chihuly's artworks.
To enhance the Fiori exhibition, the Conservatory has just completed garden plans for an elaborate floral display in the Showhouse. The design is a reflection of "millefiori" - a glass technique most often seen in glass paperweights. The technique incorporates colorful, patterned glass canes sliced into designs that look like a mound of flowers. The flower display will feature circular flowerbeds with tightly placed blooms in varying colors and patterns. The exhibition flowers will change seasonally and will include chrysanthemums, poinsettias, cinerarea, and kalanchoe.
Along with the exhibit, artist Hannah Rosner, lead lampwork instructor at Glass Axis, demonstrates lampworking - a technique that uses a tabletop torch to apply heat to cold glass to change its form. Programs begin with a brief talk about the process and finish with demonstrations of basic beads and glass floral techniques. Rosner has an MFA in Theatrical Design and more than fifteen years teaching experience combined with twenty years as a working artist. The event is free with admission.
Saturday, October 14, 2006, 1 - 2 p.m.
Friday, November 24, 2006, 1 - 2 p.m.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 13, 2007, 1 - 2 p.m.
Sunday, February 18, 2007, 2 - 3 p.m.