Fiori Boat
Garden and Glass
Don’t miss Chihuly in the Garden 2023. The floral glass sculptures are breathtaking! Go during the day; go at night. They are totally different experiences. But go. In the 18-piece display, the legacy of botanist Henry Shaw merges magically with the work of world-renown artist Dale Chihuly.
Red Reeds
When Art and Nature Meet
I commenced a recent tour of the Garden with my friends Cyndy, Lucy, and Josephine. We met up at the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor’s Center, that marks the entrance to the Garden. The spacious interior features a café, gift shop, education space, auditorium, and ultra-modern rest rooms.
Those of a certain age—such as myself—also appreciate the free parking, flat walking trails, benches, and trolley cars. Should you work up an appetite along the pathways, head for the Sassafras Restaurant and enjoy a sandwich or salad indoors or on the patio.
I have a special fondness for the Japanese garden with its meandering paths and secluded spots to sit and read or just enjoy the great outdoors.
Putting the Pieces Together
First of all, the colorful sculptures required a cross country trip from Chihuly’s Seattle studio. The dissembled artwork arrived in five, 53-foot containers. It took a team of ten working over a period of two weeks to re-assemble and install the many pieces.
But unlike Humpty Dumpty, “all the king’s horse and all the king’s men,” were able to get the pieces together again.
I asked Garden staffer, Bill George, if the installers found it difficult to assemble so many parts. He said they did. Some times they got it wrong and had to re-do the set up
Because a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Cyndy photographs Neodymium Reeds.
Lucy takes time to smell the posies. In this case, a magnolia.(Yes, there was a bee in the blossom. I was glad to see them at work.)
This is the piece that Chihuly said he would never sell. Today the octogenarian glass blower oversees a team at his studio in Seattle.
Float Boat was inspired by the many colorful fishing lines that Chihuly saw in Japan.
Vivid Lime Icicle Tower stands at the entrance to the Garden exhibit
Vermillion and Carnary Tower
Fiddlehead Ferns
Standing beneath my favorite tree at the Garden (a Scottish Elm) along with some of my favorite people: Cyndy, Josephine, and Lucy.
“Thank you, Mr. Shaw, for giving St. Louis such a beautiful and inspiring Garden.”
When to Go
The display will be in St. Louis until October 15. An illuminated view during Chihuly Nights brings a whole new perspective. Evening displays are Thursday through Sunday, 6p-10p. (River Front Times photos of evening views)
Admission is free with Garden membership during regular hours and $18-25 for Chihuly Nights.
Thank you so much for this information. We have enjoyed Chihuly exhibits at the Gardens in the past and look forward to the current event. I am your Marshall MO friend. We discussed tea, iced tea and hot tea one time online. Both our son and daughter live in St Louis, one in Webster and one in the Ballwin/Manchester area. We plan to visit them in a couple of weeks. I sure hope it is not too hot to visit the Garden.
What a treat! You get to visit with you children and, hopefully, see the Chihuly exhibit as well. Enjoy!