Construction is moving along, and we are looking forward to the grand opening of Chihuly Garden and Glass late this spring. The Glasshouse frame is complete and the glass panels are on with installations starting in the garden in March. Dale and Leslie have participated in a number of construction tours including one with local media, with a national media tour scheduled for March. In January, Michelle Bufano was named executive director. For updates on the project, check out Chihuly Garden and Glass on Facebook and Twitter!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center, Oklahoma City Museum of Art and Chihuly Studio collaborated to redesign the presentation of the museum’s permanent Chihuly collection. The Collection reopened to visitors on December 31 and offers a new way to experience the artwork.

At the same time, a temporary exhibition Chihuly: Northwest made its debut in the adjacent gallery. The exhibition is reflective of the Northwest Room in the Chihuly Boathouse and includes Baskets and Cylinders along with trade blankets and Edward Curtis photogravures from the artist's collections. Chihuly: Northwest is on view until April 8.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden will host a major garden exhibition including more than 15 installation locations throughout the Arboretum's beautiful water features and stunning vistas. The 66-acre arboretum is located approximately 15 minutes from downtown Dallas at edge of White Rock Lake. Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum will be on view May 5 - November 5.

On May 15 and 17, the Seattle Symphony, under the baton of Gerard Schwarz, will perform a concert version of Bartók’s one-act opera, Bluebeard's Castle.

The idea to perform Bluebeard’s Castle, with the set designed by Dale, originated during a conversation in 2006 between Leslie Chihuly and then Music Director Gerard Schwarz. Dale spent six months creating the set in which dramatic glass installations symbolically represent the themes of six of the seven doors in the libretto. Two of the doors, the Torture Chamber and the Garden, feature illuminated Red Spears and Fiori blooms of green and gold, respectively.

It premiered in Seattle on May 31, 2007 and has since traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and Tel Aviv, Israel for a total of 15 performances.

2007 Seattle Symphony
Sally Burgess – mezzo-soprano
Charles Robert Austin – bass-baritone

2012 Seattle Symphony
Nancy Maultsby – mezzo-soprano
Charles Robert Austin – bass-baritone

Benaroya Hall
May 15, 7:30 p.m.
May 17, 7:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

At the end of November, Dale's work premiered at Halcyon Gallery's new space on New Bond Street in London, showcasing three Chandeliers, three Fiori installations, and an extensive display of Dale's well-known series. The show, which marks Halcyon's first exhibition of Dale's work, met with great reception and was featured on BBC World.

This May, Talley Dunn Gallery (previously Dunn and Brown Gallery) will open a new show of Dale's work in Dallas. Opening in conjunction with Dale's garden exhibition at the Dallas Arboretum, this show will be the first at the gallery under its new name.

The week of January 9 Chihuly installed a three-tiered yellow Chandelier in the retail lobby of the Elements Too building in downtown Bellevue. The sculpture hangs in the multi-story lobby of this beautiful, modern building.

This year marks the highly anticipated release of the 2012 Studio Edition collection for Portland Press. The collection includes Scarlet Leaf Ikebana, Violet Persian Pair, White Pearl Seaform Pair, and Aqua Blue Macchia. These Studio Editions represent the dynamic colors and forms found in Chihuly’s unique work, including the artist’s newest series, White (White Pearl Seaform Pair) and will be available starting April 1. Portland Press will also release a number of new prints. Our newest print Gold Ikebana is contrasted in rich metallic gold and black. The single gilded Ikebana image is surrounded by the velvety matte black color field in an asymmetrical balance.

Portland Press will also release a number of books, films, and products, including a new documentary that follows Dale’s decade-long work in some of the world’s preeminent botanical gardens and conservatories; a limited edition blanket designed by Dale in collaboration with Pendleton Woolen Mills; and new materials focusing on education, creativity, and Dale’s art.

Chihuly Garden Installations (Abrams and Portland Press) was reviewed and praised by The New York Times and was selected by Good Morning America anchor Sam Champion as one of the best coffee table books of the year.

It looks like 2012 is going to be an exciting year for Portland Press.

Forty years ago, in 1972, Chihuly and James Carpenter blew glass for the Glas heute exhibition at the Museum Bellerive in Zurich, Switzerland. In addition to their room-sized Glass Forest, smaller white works were displayed. The Glass Forest pieces were too costly to ship back to the United States and stayed in Zurich. The museum hid the tall glass stalks, for lack of a storage space, behind a wall where they remained for 29 years until 2001, when the Glass Forest was once again exhibited at the museum.

More than 400 people attended the 13th Annual Gridiron Dinner, where a “roast” for Dale was held at the Fremont Studios in Seattle on December 15, 2011. Dale received affectionate and fun toasts from several distinguished roasters, including Jeff and Susan Brotman, Seattle City Councilwoman Sally Bagshaw, actor Tom Skerritt, Mimi Gates, Allan Shoup, Patty Payne, and Leslie Chihuly, who concluded the evening with a fun tribute to Dale.

Dale and Leslie attended the 23rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 7, where celebrities including George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Glenn Close, and Gary Oldman were recognized with an award created by Dale for their individual achievements in film. Dale has created the Piccolo Venetian awards for the film festival for the past few years; the awards are based on his Venetian series.

Dale designed the City of Music Awards for the third year in a row. The City of Music Awards recognizes Seattle musicians with three accolades: the Impact, Breakthrough, and Outstanding Achievement honors.