Garden bids farewell to Chihuly glass

Dale Chihuly's "The Sun 2008"

“The Sun” greeted visitors as they entered the Desert Botanical Garden, but no more.  Oh, the Arizona sun still shines, but Dale Chihuly’s sculpture “The Sun” no longer shines in the Ottosen Entry Garden among the cacti.  Chihuly: The Nature of Glass ended May 31 after exhibiting at the garden since November 22, 2008.

Garden staff and volunteers began disassembling the sculptures on June 1, 2009 to ship back to Dale Chihuly.  The pieces of glass were taken apart piece by piece and safely packed into containers.  The Desert Botanical Garden says the piece contained more than 1,200 separate pieces of glass and the armature that held them weighed thousands of pounds.

Dale Chihuly's "Chiostro di Sant' Apollonia Chandelier, 2008"

Another vibrant Chihuly sculpture, “Chiostro di Sant’ Apollonia Chandelier,” hung at the east end of the Sybil B. Harrington Succulent Gallery among the green succulents.  The sculpture glistened in the sunshine and glimmered in the rain while the blue imitated the color of an Arizona sky. 

Team Chihuly carefully took apart the chandelier piece by piece and safely packed it up for transport back to the Chihuly Studio in Seattle.  A total of 17 Chihuly sculptures graced the garden and fascinated garden visitors.  Chihuly certainly knows how to mingle his gorgeous glass art with the natural art of nature.