By Deborah Reed
Wyoming-Kentwood News Today Contributor
greer@wktv.org

A friendship spanning decades, well-worn paint-splattered shoes and groundbreaking works of art collide at the Frederik Meijer Gardens CHIHULY at Meijer Gardens exhibit.

Presented by Macatawa Bank and running until Nov. 1, 2026, CHIHULY features works of nationally acclaimed artist Dale Chihuly across the 158-acre outdoor landscapes of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

“We’re really privileged to be exhibiting Dale Chihuly’s work for the third time since Meijer Gardens opened its doors, and are also honored to have a series of works in our permanent collection,” said Grace Voges, Senior Director of Operations at Meijer Gardens.

The outdoor exhibition of Chihuly features 12 monumental sculptures throughout the Meijer Gardens campus.

Bringing art, nature and light together

The open-air environments of the CHIHULY outdoor exhibition offers visitors a dynamic, immersive journey through gardens, waterways and natural vistas. The inclusion of indoor installations within the Sculpture Galleries makes CHIHULY the largest and most expansive Chihuly exhibition in Meijer Gardens’ history.

The indoor timed-entry gallery feature, CHIHULY: Radiant Forms, is an added experience visitors can opt into for a nominal charge. Radiant Forms provides a more intimate and in-depth look at Chihuly’s evolution of forms and styles over the years.

“That really affords you an opportunity to experience the full breadth of Dale Chihuly’s works over the 40 years of his working career,” Voges said.

Another add-on for those seeking a deeper understanding of Chihuly and his work are Insider Tours that offer a half-mile, 45-minute tour of Chihuly’s key outdoor installations and explain the techniques and artistic vision behind Chihuly’s works.

A unique benefit to having CHIHULY at the Gardens until Nov. 1 is the ability to experience the exhibit with the changing seasons.

“What you are seeing now is going to look and feel incredibly different as we move into the summer months,” Voges explained. “And then again as we transition into autumn and see our leaves change.”

Extended hours on select evenings offer an opportunity to experience Chihuly’s outdoor installations as natural light moves into evening, showcasing the interplay of glass, light, landscape and seasons.

Voges says that even the Meijer Gardens cafe is in on the Chihuly fun. “They have a vibrantly colored cupcake featuring some shards of sugar glass. There is Chihuly everywhere at Meijer Gardens this season.”

40 years of revolutionizing art

The American artist’s creativity covers a range of media and is known for revolutionizing the studio glass movement, with his work included in over 200 museum collections around the world. Glass, paint, charcoal, neon, ice and Polyvitro (Chihuly’s term for a type of polymer) are transformed into artistic pieces small enough to be displayed in a home to large-scale architectural installations like the “Chartreuse Icicle Tower” that guests will see at the Gardens.

Chihuly’s experiments with color, light, transparency and form create masterful and unique works inspired by his travels and life experiences. From Venetian art glass to Japanese flowers and fishing floats, to Native American textiles and boats in Nuutajärvi, Finland, the CHIHULY exhibition represents four decades of the artist’s innovations.

A testament to true friendship

The recurrence of Chihuly’s work at Meijer Gardens will not come as a surprise to those who knew Fred and Lena Meijer well.

“The relationship between Dale Chihuly and Fred and Lena Meijer really began in the early days of Meijer Gardens, and has lasted now for several decades,” Voges said. “What began as an artist-patron relationship really blossomed into a true and genuine friendship over the course of their years working together.”

Evidence of that friendship is displayed in the Gardens’ ticketing center in the form of a pair of tennis shoes.

“These were custom painted by Dale Chihuly for Lena, and how well-worn they are is a great testament and sign to their real care and affection for each other,” Voges explained.

This may be the third time Chihuly’s work has been featured at Meijer Gardens – but it won’t be the last.

“It is absolutely a relationship and a partnership that we hope will continue, whether that be through additional acquisitions to our permanent collection or through future temporary exhibitions,” Voges continued.

Not a traditional garden or museum

CHIHULY is indicative of all exhibits and programming at the Gardens, with the focus on providing visitors with an experience versus simply viewing a display.

“We are neither a traditional garden nor a traditional museum,” Voges said, citing the combination of landscape, exhibitions, their summer concert series and holiday Enlighten light show. “We’re afforded a really unique opportunity to be creating different and new experiences for all of the diverse communities coming and visiting us.

“We are a place of joy,” Voges continued. “We are a place of escape. We are a place of learning, and it’s important to us that our programming be a strong reflection of that.”

How you can experience CHIHULY

General admission tickets include access to all outdoor Chihuly installations across Meijer Gardens. A full schedule and tickets to the CHIHULY exhibit and its complementary programs are available online or at the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Ticketing Center upon arrival.