Chihuly at Cheekwood: Nashville’s Glass Gardens

Click the placemark for directions to Cheekwood or, for links to my photos, try the camera. You can also view a larger map. Dale Chihuly is known for his large glass sculptures, but pay attention to the minute details and you’ll see his art in a new light. (Click for larger.)

Last week, I traveled to Nashville’s Cheekwood botanical gardens to see some incredible blown-glass pieces from Dale Chihuly, a brilliant artist whose works are currently on display at parks, gardens and museums worldwide. You might remember his glass flowers, located at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, from Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven.

Cheekwood is a privately funded 55-acre estate on the western edge of Nashville. It houses the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, and is home to beautiful plants, streams, and both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

As you’ll see in the slide-show below and the image at right, Dale Chihuly is a prolific artist who experiments with color, texture and shape to give his sculptures a decidedly organic feel. At Cheekwood, Most of his pieces can be found throughout the gardens, “planted” among flowers, trees and vines, or floating peacefully on the water. While the installations certainly stand out from their surroundings, they also feel “natural,” as if they belong and have always been there.

You can check out Dale Chihuly’s installations at Cheekwood until October 31, 2010. If you’re in the Nashville area, be sure to get your tickets before it’s too late!