AVALON.- The Catalina Island Museum has reached a major milestone this week by opening an exhibition of works by internationally renowned artist Dale Chihuly. The exhibition, Chihuly at the Catalina Island Museum, opened on March 26, 2017 and runs through December 11, 2017.
Chihuly, an American sculptor, has mastered the alluring, translucent and transparent qualities of ice, water, glass and neon, to create works of art that transform the viewer experience. He is globally renowned for his ambitious site-specific architectural installations in public spaces, and in exhibitions presented in museums and gardens worldwide. The exhibition is a coup for the Catalina Island Museum, which now joins a prestigious list of past exhibitors including the de Young Museum in San Francisco, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. All have experienced record-breaking crowds. The Denver Botanic Gardens became the most-visited public garden in 2014 when it attracted 1.4 million guests, thanks to its Chihuly exhibition.
The exhibition sets the direction for the new Catalina Island Museum, which now makes its home in the newly constructed 18,000 square-foot Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building. The new museum building with an outdoor atrium, landscaped gardens and views of Catalina’s canyons and clear waters is an ideal setting for Chihuly’s sculptures, many of which reference or are inspired by natural elements.
Since 1953 the Catalina Island Museum has introduced visitors to the extraordinary history of the island. In 2013, it broke ground for a new building designed to facilitate the museum’s expanded mission to exhibit high quality art exhibitions and enhanced programming in the areas of dance, music and film. The new museum building was designed with a nod to the past, including Art Deco flourishes and a façade inspired by the Wrigley Field marquee. (The Chicago Cubs once held spring training sessions in Avalon.)
“Our new building is really a jewel in Avalon,” said Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director of the Catalina Island Museum. “So much attention has gone into creating an awe-inspiring environment for our visitors. We wanted our first major exhibition to compliment that vision. Without a doubt, the work of Dale Chihuly will inspire the wow-factor we want our visitors to experience at the museum and take with them when they leave.”
The new Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building provides an intimate setting for only the second major museum exhibition of Chihuly’s work in southern California. For nearly nine months Catalina Island Museum members, guests and island visitors will be immersed in some of Chihuly’s most iconic works, including Seaforms, Red Reeds, Mille Fiori, Chandeliers, Macchia, Baskets, and the Sea Blue and Green Tower, as well as a breathtaking 18-foot chandelier installation in its soaring lobby. Several of Chihuly’s large-scale installations are being featured throughout the museum in its special exhibitions galleries, atrium, second-level plazas and gazebo. The exterior portion of the exhibition offers two different viewing experiences – during the day when the sculptures’ unique shapes and bold colors glisten in the sun and in the evening when the pieces are dramatically illuminated.
When talking about his work, Chihuly once stated, “I want people to be overwhelmed by light and color in a way they have never experienced.”
To encourage visitors from nearby Los Angeles and beyond to make the most of their stay in Avalon the museum has partnered with the Santa Catalina Island Company, who is the official Hospitality Partner of the exhibition.
