Chihuly at The Dallas Arboretum

Last Saturday night was beautiful here in Dallas; warm enough in the early evening to stroll around the Chihuly Exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum and be comfortable in a wool sweater. And what an enjoyable exhibit it was. Chihuly’s larger pieces look like stop-action shots of fireworks. Or space aliens. Either way, they are fun and allow you to see the arboretum in a different light – literally.

The exhibit, which has been in Dallas since May 5th and closes December 31st, has been an unprecedented success for the Dallas Arboretum. An article in The Dallas Morning News indicated they expect to gross $4.5 million, but my guess is that the actual number will be higher since the exhibit was extended from its original closing date of November 5th. The exhibit also doubled the arboretum’s attendance records versus the same time last year, they have attracted more than 7,000 new members and bookings for corporate retreats and private parties have increased dramatically.

This started me wondering why more special exhibits aren’t developed for arboretums, and if they are why we haven’t seen them in Dallas? A brief Internet search leads me to believe that the Chihuly exhibit is somewhat unique. There are some other, much lesser exhibits, but they aren’t really designed to take advantage of a venue like the arboretum. The North Carolina Arboretum has a new exhibit inspired by Amy Stewart’s best-selling book Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and other Botanical Atrocities but it’s really an inside exhibit. The Morton Arboretum has an exhibit titled, Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat. As much as I am interested in plants, that doesn’t sound exciting enough to capture the imagination and interest of the public in the same way as Chihuly – not even close.

I love the idea of bringing outdoor sculpture together with the ultimate outdoor environment. It would be great if there was a way for The Nasher and the Arboretum to collaborate on some kind of exhibit that involves both venues. Another thought would be for the Dallas Arboretum to establish a juried, annual outdoor sculpture competition and exhibit. Chihuly isn’t just a fun exhibit, it’s a great concept that shouldn’t end when the show leaves town.