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CHIHULY: Venice 2026
Presented by Pilchuck Glass School and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
January 16, 2026, Seattle, WA — Thirty years after transforming the city and its canals with his groundbreaking Chihuly Over Venice project, world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly returns to the source of his inspiration with CHIHULY: Venice 2026. Presented by Pilchuck Glass School and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, CHIHULY: Venice 2026 will be anchored by three dramatic new sculptures installed along the Grand Canal, celebrating the artist’s enduring dialogue with the city that fundamentally shaped his career. The installations will be accompanied by an interpretive and archival center housed at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, opening May 5, concurrent with the Venice Biennale.
“There is nothing that possibly compares with Venice. Its light, its history, and its breath-taking architecture have been a constant source of inspiration for me,” said artist Dale Chihuly.
The three monumental outdoor works are all visible from the Accademia Bridge, known for its panoramic views of the Grand Canal. These new works extend the formal vocabulary Chihuly developed in the decades leading up to and following Chihuly Over Venice. The 30' gold tower installed in the Palazzo Franchetti’s garden invites visitors to experience the intricate nature of the artwork and closely view the new forms created specifically for this Venetian presentation.
“What better time to revisit the city that transformed Dale’s life and career than on the 30th anniversary of Chihuly Over Venice? It will be a chance to reflect on his legacy, the impact he has had, and the inspiration we have all received from this remarkable city,” said Leslie Jackson Chihuly, President and CEO of Chihuly Studio, and Project Director of the Venice project in 1996.
The Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, in Campo Santo Stefano is adjacent to the installations and will serve as an interpretive and archival center. In this intimate setting, drawings, photographs, videos and documentation chart the evolution of Chihuly’s process, the making of Chihuly Over Venice, and the artist’s lifelong engagement with experimentation, collaboration, and risk. Archival materials and selected artworks will ground the outdoor installations in narrative, history and material practice.
The Istituto will also highlight one of Chihuly’s most important innovations, represented by a grouping of Golden Celadon Baskets (made in 2017 at Pilchuck Glass School to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Baskets series). These vessels actively embrace asymmetry, collapse, and mutation — forms that intentionally challenge the centuries of technical precision and tradition found in Murano glassblowing and demonstrate his uniquely American approach.
An accompanying exhibition catalog, edited by curator of the Istituto Veneto presentation Suzanne Geiss, will be published in May 2026 and will include forewords from the presenting sponsors and an introduction from Leslie Jackson Chihuly. The publication will offer an in-depth look back at the original Chihuly Over Venice project (1995–96), as well as feature writings and photography of the new Chihuly sculptures to be presented along the Grand Canal in 2026.
“Venice has always been a crucible for Chihuly, a place where he confronted tradition, expanded his vocabulary, and embraced the creative risks that transformed his work. CHIHULY: Venice 2026 brings that history full circle. The Grand Canal sculptures expand on the ambition and experimentation that defined Chihuly Over Venice in 1996, while the exhibition at the Istituto Veneto gives insight into the collaborative, process-driven nature of his practice,” said Geiss.
PRESENTERS
CHIHULY: Venice 2026 is presented by Pilchuck Glass School and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
“Pilchuck Glass School is thrilled to support Chihuly: Venice 2026,” said Donna Davies, Executive Director. “Pilchuck exists because of Dale and his indomitable generosity and vision. The inspiration and collaboration he gleaned from his time in Venice paved the way for him to found a school built on a commitment of collaboration, experimentation and exploration. Since Pilchuck’s first summer workshop under a tent on a hill in 1971, the collision of artistic traditions from around the world has been a hallmark of the Pilchuck experience. Now a globally acclaimed, state-of-the-art facility, this global exchange of ideas continues and is a testament to Dale’s vision, inspiration and global reach.”
“From Grand Rapids to the Grand Canal, Meijer Gardens is celebrating the inimitable art of Dale Chihuly beginning this May,” said Charles Burke, President and CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. “In Grand Rapids, we will trace the breadth and depth of artistic creation over the past 40 years. On the Grand Canal, we will celebrate the joy and beauty intrinsic to Dale, his practice, and his art.”
Chihuly at Meijer Gardens this May
Continuing a decades-long relationship with Dale Chihuly, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is one of the co-presenters of CHIHULY: Venice 2026, will also present a major U.S. exhibition of his work opening on May 2. CHIHULY at Meijer Gardens will transform both the outdoor gardens and indoor galleries to showcase the artist’s dynamic range and creativity. The exhibition will feature outdoor installations such as Chihuly’s towering sculptures, vibrant Reeds, and other site-specific artworks nestled within Meijer Gardens’ landscapes. Indoors, visitors will experience a rich, varied survey of works, highlighting more than four decades of Chihuly’s artistic evolution. Featured series include Baskets, Macchia, Seaforms, Putti, Ikebana, Persians, Venetians, Cylinders and Rotolo, complemented by original drawings that offer insight into his creative process.
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American artist who transforms spaces with experiments in color, light, transparency, and form. He is known for his exhibitions and large-scale architectural installations around the world and for revolutionizing the studio glass movement. Chihuly works with a variety of media including glass, paint, charcoal, neon, ice and Polyvitro, and his work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide, including Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Major exhibitions include Chihuly Over Venice (1995–96); Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem (1999); de Young Museum in San Francisco (2008); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011); Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (2012); Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2013); Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (2016); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas (2017); Groninger Museum, Groningen, the Netherlands (2018); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London (2019); Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (2021); and Adelaide Botanic Garden, Australia (2024–25). Chihuly Garden and Glass, a long-term exhibition located at the Seattle Center, opened in 2012.
THE PRESENTERS
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, was named the Best Sculpture Park in the United States in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and is regularly listed in the 100-most-visited museums in the world and 15-most-visited museums in the United States by The Art Newspaper, the leading global art news publication. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Chihuly, Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks, Henry Moore, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin, Richard Serra, Yinka Shonibare CBE, and Ai Weiwei, among others. Indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions have presented numerous solo shows, including artists Jonathan Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Richard Hunt, Cristina Iglesias, Michele Oka Donor, George Segal, David Smith and others. The 158-acre main campus features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an 8-acre Japanese garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater garden, showcasing an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians each summer. Learning Engagement programs welcome 80,000 students and guests each year. Culinary Arts & Events offerings include weddings, corporate meetings, and award-winning catering.
Pilchuck Glass School
Pilchuck Glass School fosters and educates a diverse worldwide community that explores the creative use of glass in art and design. Pilchuck is an international center for glass art education. Their serene campus in Stanwood, Washington, is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains amidst a working tree farm.
From May through September every year, Pilchuck’s program offers a series of courses for all skill levels, as well as residencies for established artists in all media. Summer sessions vary in length and offer concurrent courses in a variety of glassworking processes. Immersive workshops taught by world-renowned artists emphasize experimentation and teamwork while fostering individual initiative and expression. New and experienced artists alike often make tremendous conceptual and artistic progress in their short time at Pilchuck. Combining a deep focus on glass, access to a variety of resources, a picturesque Pacific Northwest setting and an ever-expanding international community of artists, Pilchuck has become the most comprehensive educational center in the world for glass artists.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Polskin Arts
Alison Buchbinder / Annabella Hoge
[email protected] / [email protected]
+1 646 688 7826 / +1 310 552 4140
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
John VanderHaagen / Kim Skeltis
[email protected] / [email protected]
+1 616 975 3180 / +1 248 890 9146
Pilchuck Glass School
Jamie Altman
[email protected]
+1 360 854 5263