Yes, Chihuly is coming to downtown St Petersburg and the opening of the Chihuly Exhibit at 400 Beach Drive is scheduled for the Fourth of July. The Chihuly Gallery will be at the corner of Beach Drive and 4th Avenue North, taking the vacant corner space as well as the space previously occupied by Davis Anthony Home & Garden, which has moved to another location in the same building, just around the corner on 4th Avenue N.
The Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, also on Beach Drive in downtown St Petersburg, a few years ago had crowds lined up along the waterfront park, waiting to get in. They passed along umbrellas to keep the sun off.
Downtown St Petersburg and Beach Drive in particular are becoming the Place To Be. The "art district" which overlooks Tampa Bay will be anchored on the north by Chihuly Collection and on the south by the new Salvador Dali Museum, scheduled to open 1/11/11. In between are waterfront parks, shops, and a variety of restaurants, most of which have outdoor seating.
Come to visit Beach Drive and downtown St Pete - or even better, come and buy a place to live in this wonderfully walkable downtown.
Sharon - I LOVE his work but have only seen photos, except for one piece in someone's house. Extraordinary. Should be a very popuar exhibit. I have such admiration for glass artists!
Jeff
Love his work -- used to live in Seattle where he had tons of things on display.
Jeff - it was quite exciting when he was at the museum - a garden of glass sculptures, interesting glass inside. I especially liked this ceiling, obviously. Come see his new collection after it opens!
Bob and Carolin - I think his St Pete connections came from someone that met him in Seattle.
Sharon,
Oh I so love this! The colors are magnificient! You are so lucky to have this in your area. I do beleive this is the same artist that created the chandelier in the Elly Caulkins Opera House in Denver. I must go check on that now...
kk
Hi Sharon: love the colors. It most be something else to express one self with such command...still I prefer Dali ;) Thank you for sharing this great art piece.
Kristal - Chihuly just created a new chandelier for the Balroom at the Vinoy Hotel in downtown St Petersburg - let me know if he did the one in Denver.
Lloyd - we're fortunate to have both Chihuly and Dali. I wish I had this ceiling in my office!
Sharon - That is very cool. I have admired his work at the Bellagio and also at the Atlantis Resort.
Sam - who would have put St Pete and Las Vegas in the same comparison? Now you can see The Simms Team and Chihuly on the same visit!
I love his work and have been fortunate to see his shows. If you get a chance, take a look at his videos and how he actually makes the glass art...a real team effort.
Margaret
Margaret - Hello! Chihuly will have a studio here as well.
Sharon - this is really exciting news! Thanks for the information!!!