With just fire and lung power, the artist Dale Chihuly transforms molten sand into sculptural glass wonderlands displayed in hotels, museums, and botanical gardens around the world. This summer, his fantastic creations will sprout from an Ozark forest floor for the first time. Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville unveils Chihuly: In the Gallery and In the Forest (June 3–November 13), which includes an indoor retrospective that runs through August 14 and an outdoor exhibition that continues into the fall.
Photo: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Dale Chihuly, Neodymium Reeds and Seal Pups, 2012, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle.
The museum recently enhanced its north trails to create a mile-long path with expanded areas for long-term outdoor installations, which Chihuly’s sculptures will christen. Bright spears are staked along wooded pathways, and glass tendrils curle around trees and other native plants. “When you’re working with a living contemporary artist like Chihuly, elements get tweaked as they’re installed,” says the exhibit’s curator, Lauren Haynes. “He uses the site as inspiration and moves pieces in the moment.”
