ORLANDO.- Become enveloped in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of glass sculptures by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly in the exhibition Chihuly Across Florida: Masterworks in Glass, which is on view at the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) in Orlando and the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in St. Petersburg January 18 through May 23, 2004. The Regional Presenting Sponsor in Florida is the Progress Energy Foundation. These simultaneous, site-specific exhibitions constitute the largest presentation ever of Chihuly glass and the first time two major art museums have collaborated to show his work at the same time.

“We are proud to help bring Dale Chihuly’s cutting edge works to Florida,” says Bill Habermeyer, president & CEO of Progress Energy Florida. “It speaks to the strength of the arts in Florida that an exhibition of such magnitude has been developed specifically for shows in St. Petersburg and Orlando. We look for this ambitious project to enrich the lives of area residents and attract visitors to both communities.”

Assisted by a team of expert glassblowers and sculptors in his studio, Chihuly has pushed the limits of the expressive capacity of glass by creating astonishingly ambitious works. Organized and designed by the artist and his studio assistants, Chihuly Across Florida spotlights classic works and new large-scale installations. Represented are selections from some of his best-known series such as the Seaforms, Persians, Baskets, Macchia and Venetians. Also in the exhibition are new installations and large-scale sculptures specifically designed for display at the OMA and the MFA. In addition, visitors can enjoy a documentary video of Chihuly at work.

Chihuly designed the exhibitions to complement the very different architectural styles of each museum. The OMA’s building blends classical elements with contemporary detailing and provides an open, expansive environment while the Mediterranean style of the MFA provides a traditional and intimate setting with indoor gardens. The museums have joined to create a statewide celebration of glass art, providing a unique cultural opportunity for Florida residents and tourists. Chihuly Across Florida will bring national and international attention to Florida as a “state of the arts.”

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.

In 1968, Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the Venini factory in Venice, Italy. While in Venice, he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. In 1971, Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington. With this international glass center, he has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art.

Chihuly is celebrated for his grand architectural installations, such as his Chandeliers that were suspended over the canals and piazzas of Venice in 1996, his Jerusalem Wall of Ice of 1999, and more recently, an exhibition and outdoor installation at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Today his work is included in more than 200 museum and public collections across the globe including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Paris; Corning Museum of Glass, New York; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas; and Bellagio, Las Vegas. Chihuly has received many awards, including seven honorary doctorates, a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant, a Fulbright Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist grant.