Dale Chihuly

transforming ordinary materialsinto extraordinary works of art

CHI-WHO?

-LY

Discovering Color and Design• Chihuly grew up in Tacoma, Washington

• collected shells & sea glass beaches of the Pacific

• Discovered an interest in Color

and Design in college. • Graduated with a degree in Interior Design.

• Experimented with glass blowing

in his basement• Fascinated by translucent, reflective qualities

of glass

Becoming a Glass Artist

• Ancient art, requires skill and practice

• Attended Graduate School at U of Wis.

• Fulbright Scholarship enabled Chihuly to travel to Italy to study glassblowing.

The Maestro

• 1976 – Tragic accident caused loss of sight. Forced Chihuly to rely on a team to create his vision.

• Italian word for “teacher” or “master”

• Someone with exceptional skills or abilities who leads others

• Working as a team creates a sense of community and family

Preliminary Drawings

• Originally created to convey ideas to the glass-blowing team

• Took on life of their own

• Evolved into part of Chihuly’s creative process

CHIHULY AND COMMUNITY

•Hilltop Artists in Residence Program

•Started in 1994, by Chihuly, Kaperick, & Parriot•Tacoma Hilltop Neighborhood•Converted a former middle school Industrial Arts classroom•500 at risk youth participate each year•Provide Glass Arts and Alternative Academic Programs•Learn the importance of individual responsibility and teamwork

BASKETS

SEA FORMS

MACCHIAS

“The Macchia series began with my waking up one

day wanting to use all 300 of the

colors in the hotshop. . Like

much of my work, the series inspired

itself. The unbelievable

combinations of color—that was

the driving force.”

Chandeliers and Towers

CHANDELIERS

Chandelier in the Canales of Venice

Fireworks of GlassChildren's Museum of Indianapolis

• Took over 5 years to plan and create

• Engineering marvel• Over 43 feet high, 18,000 pounds

Creative Process