CORAL GABLES, FL.-(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, one of the world’s premier botanic gardens and Miami-Dade County’s oldest cultural institution, announces an outdoor sculpture exhibition headlined by world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, who will make an unprecedented return to Fairchild with a new and expanded installation of his colorful blown glass art. Fairchild will also display sculptures by internationally-acclaimed artists Franz West, Mark Dion, Joshua Levine, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Michele Oka Doner and Daisy Youngblood as well as works by Wendy Wischer and the advanced sculpture students from Miami’s New World School of the Arts. The exhibition will open during the famous international art show, Art Basel Miami Beach, as part of Fairchild’s annual exhibition series, Art & Flowers. Chihuly at Fairchild takes place from Dec. 9, 2006 through May 31, 2007, at 10901 Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables.

Inspired by the distinctive architectural style of South Beach, Dale Chihuly has designed the colorful glass installations especially for Fairchild’s tropical landscape and with an Art Deco theme. The installation will include hundreds of blown glass, polyvitro plastic and neon pieces placed among the lush gardens, infusing art and nature and will encompass a majority of Fairchild’s uplands, including the palmetum, arboretum and its two conservatories.

Franz West will display Swimmer, Violetta and, The Standard, interactive sculptures made of polyester. People are encouraged to sit, stand, and play on and with the sculptures, which are complete once the public interacts with them. Mark Dion’s installation will be added to the exhibition in February, and depicts an environmental SWAT team. Josh Levine uses rubber and LED lights in his installation of frogs used as environmental pollution markers. Ursula von Rydingsvard will display River Bowl, made of properly harvested wood especially for the sculpture. Michele Oka Doner’s Bees are made out of natural materials. Daisy Youngblood will display a bronze Gorilla sculpture. Wendy Wischer and the advanced sculpture students from Miami’s New World School of the Arts will display palm murals on Fairchild’s Lowlands chalets, and a Garden of Eden-esque installation entitled Creeping Lightly on the Vine Pergola.

While Fairchild often displays the work of artists within the garden as part of an exhibition series called Art & Flowers, Chihuly at Fairchild marks the garden’s largest undertaking to date and follows the huge success of last year’s exhibition by Dale Chihuly. According to Bruce Greer, Fairchild’s Board of Trustees President, Dale Chihuly initially said he would never return to the same place twice, but changed his mind once he saw how magical his works blended with South Florida’s unique tropical setting and experienced an extraordinary reception from the South Florida community.

“South Florida is evolving into a cultural capital and attracting the most prominent artists, designers, architects and art collectors. Dale Chihuly is testament to that fact,” said Greer. “We have a culturally-savvy community and beautiful weather where people want to enjoy their time outside, so it is no wonder Fairchild’s outdoor exhibitions have received such an outstanding response.”

Last year’s exhibition put Fairchild at the top of South Florida’s must see list, and brought approximately 300,000 visitors from around the world to the garden and sent hundreds of well-known artists clamoring to be the next exhibitor. The exhibition drew school children, the young and trendy and the demure, alike. Over 40,000 people turned out on Thursday evenings for Tropical Chihuly Nights, where visitors viewed Chihuly’s glass sculptures with special lighting effects and enjoyed food and drinks, live music and entertainment.

“There is a historical link between botanic gardens and art,” said Dr. Michael Maunder, Fairchild director. “Historically, it is a place where artists have worked and developed new ideas. People who appreciate art also appreciate nature.”

These exhibitions support Fairchild’s conservation work and educational outreach programs and draws awareness for the important conservation work taking place at the garden. Fairchild houses the National Palm Collection as recognized by the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) and has an important collection of rare tropical fruit and the largest palm and cycad collection, some species of which are down to less than six specimens in the world. Fairchild has staff stationed around the world and works with over 20 countries developing plant conservation projects.