Chihuly Garden and Glass

Exhibition

Providing a look at the inspiration and influences that inform the career of artist Dale Chihuly, the Exhibition includes eight Galleries, the centerpiece Glasshouse and a lush Garden.

Galleries

The eight galleries and three Drawing Walls offer a comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly’s significant series of work. The artworks demonstrate how he pushed the boundaries of glass as an art medium in concept, execution and presentation.

Glasshouse

The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. A 40-foot tall, glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space, the Glasshouse is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories. The installation in the Glasshouse is an expansive 100-foot long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows and amber. Made of many individual elements, it is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures. The perception of the artwork varies greatly with natural light and as the day fades into night.

Garden

Chihuly has shown his artwork in botanical gardens all over the world, but this was his first time working with a landscape designer to create a space unlike that of any garden or exhibition elsewhere. The unique plant collection is specially chosen to complement Chihuly’s work and the striking colors and forms of the trees, plants, and flowers create a rich backdrop for the art. With an ever-changing, lush landscape, those who visit will enjoy a distinct experience with each new season.

PLANT LIST & GARDEN MAP

Theater

The Theater presents short videos on Chihuly’s working process — interviews, glassblowing, working onsite doing installations and exhibitions. Visitors will see the choreography in the hotshop as the team executes his vision. The Theater is a gathering place for lectures, educational and community events in a state-of-the-art audio visual environment.

“If I had not been a sculptor or an artist, I would love to have been a film director or an architect.”

Dale Chihuly

DEVELOPING THE EXHIBITION

After being invited by the Wright family to exhibit at Seattle Center, Chihuly started working with Center Art on a plan for the 1.5-acre plot. In consideration of best practices for the environment, the group decided to repurpose the existing building for the Exhibition Hall, add garden space and design a glass house as the centerpiece of the project. Chihuly chose specific artworks from his career and started to envision new sculptures for the site.

Intended to function as a community gathering place, Chihuly Garden and Glass broke ground in August 2011. The installation of artworks in the Gardens started March 2012, and then moved into the Glasshouse and Galleries. The project received LEED Silver certification in late 2012.

“Worth Going to Seattle Just for This”

Absolutely fantastic. Words can’t describe how amazing this is. You will need a few hours here. This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Seattle. Totally unique.

Reviewed July, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r703764500-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“Well Worth Your Time”

Not typically being into art galleries, I didn’t expect to care much for this stop, but went along with others in our group. I was very pleasantly surprised. The glass artwork in this place is amazing, and is beautifully displayed. Photos don’t do it justice. There is also a garden area where some of the pieces are displayed, as well as a courtyard with snack vendor(s). You could easily spend a while here, but we went through in less than two hours.

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r703018480-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“Watch the Short Videos”

Beautiful glass pieces! Check out the videos about Chihuly in the last room. There are several short videos about the glass blowing process and his journey working on some of his famous exhibitions. Also the professional photographers walking around will take your picture for free and you can e-mail yourself the photo for free as well. They make you take a short survey before they send it to you on the kiosk though.

Reviewed July, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r702701516-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“Amazing and a Must See in Seattle!”

AMAZING! We loved visiting and the gardens were our favorite. We would recommend this to anyone visiting Seattle. We would suggest the Space Needle, Chihuly and MoPOP all in one day. The Chihuly can take as little as an hour to visit and we had no wait.

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r701938788-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“The Glass Collection and Works is Better Than Murano”

Amazing glass pieces in the museum, some using 300 plus colors. Very distinctive and tedious to make. From amazing glass chandeliers to canoe size pieces. The Chihuly gardens pieces are amazing, works of art. Excellent gift store associated where you can buy some pieces.Truly exceptional and a must visit, when you see the Space needle.

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r701867994-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“Art and Magic!”

Chihuly is amazing with his creation. This garden visit was worth it. We bought the combo of space needle and the garden. Truly amazing experience. Enjoy.

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r701658367-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“Very Beautiful”

Truly a gem of a visit to Chihuly gardens and glass exhibits! Have lived in Seattle for 7 years and had never seen this. What a amazing collection. Worth revisiting just to see all the gorgeous stuff.

Reviewed June, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r701500864-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“Unbelievable and Spectacular”

I was told that this is a must see. I had my doubts but I found that they are right. What he does with glass has to be seen to be believed. It was very beautiful and I was constantly amazed. There was also a demonstration by a glass blower that was very informative. We spent an hour and a half in there and it felt like 15 minutes. I highly recommend you visit this place

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r701133456-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“A Must See for All Ages”

I take every guest that comes to town and I notice something new every time I visit. It is a remarkable talent to blow glass and create such majestic pieces. It’s breathtaking and worth a visit.

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r700344538-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html

“BEAUTIFUL!”

We were in Seattle for a wedding and had half a day to tour around and see the sites. We took the monorail into City Center and bought the citypass on our phones - HIGHLY RECOMMEND (it lasts for multiple days and includes so many things). I don't know if I'd recommend paying full price for just the glass garden, but if you're doing a package deal it's a MUST-SEE. Truly beautiful garden and very well constructed gallery. If you can catch one of the tours/talks I recommend it. I didn't know that much about Chihuly's history before.

Reviewed August, 2019 on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60878-d3184389-r700099489-Chihuly_Garden_and_Glass-Seattle_Washington.html