HUNTINGTON, WV.- Following a short press conference at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006, the Huntington Museum of Art presented a new, commissioned, site-specific glass sculpture by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. The sculpture, which is about six feet wide and 10 feet tall, is being given in honor of Dorothy Lewis Polan and Lake Polan, Jr., as a gift from the Polan Family. The sculpture, which is comprised of 352 individual pieces, goes on view to the public on Friday, Oct. 27, during normal museum hours beginning at 10 a.m.

Named The Huntington Museum of Art Tower, the new work graces the center of The C. Fred Edwards Conservatory, which observed its 10th anniversary this year.

"This amazingly complex and beautiful glass sculpture is a perfect complement to the natural beauty of The C. Fred Edwards Conservatory," said HMA Executive Director Margaret Mary Layne. "Having such a major work as the focal centerpiece to our conservatory helps to tie HMA's art and nature missions more closely together."

The Huntington Museum of Art Tower was commissioned from Hawk Galleries in Columbus, Ohio. Tom Hawk, director of Hawk Galleries, was on hand at the press conference to discuss the new work. The sculpture joins more than 4,000 pieces of glass already in HMA's permanent collection of 11,000 objects, which includes two early Chihuly glass works from the 1970s.

"Dale Chihuly is a genius - a phenomenon with glass," said HMA Senior Curator Jenine Culligan. "He, along with his team of assistants, has stretched the boundaries of glass sculpture, taking it to a new level of possibilities. His late 20th and early 21st century baroque masterpieces can and should be compared to works by the great artists from the past. We are very excited to have this beautiful work on permanent view in the Museum, and expect a marked increase in visitors to HMA to view this important work. We thank the Polan Family for their generous gift and for sharing this magnificent work with their community."

The sculpture will be dedicated at a special ceremony and reception at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006. The Nov. 11 event is free and open to the public.

"The sculpture is best viewed, and most dramatic at night, thanks to special lighting," Culligan said. "Our Tuesday evening visitors will be in for a special and memorable experience."