Chihuly @ Fairchild (warning: purple prose alert)

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of strolling around the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida. It was a beautiful day; not too hot and not too crowded (‘cause it was a Tuesday) and lots of stuff was in bloom including the cheeks of my ruddy buddy Earl who also popped for the cost of admission (steep). I normally like touring around botanic gardens anyway, and can often be found wandering the winding paths of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens; a mere stone’s throw (a hefty stone) from my home. I am also a big fan of Dale Chihuly who is, as they say, world-renowned in his field which is, of course, works of art in glass. And art glass with a vengeance; this man doesn’t make your mother’s pottery; he creates monuments of glittering artistry that dazzle and amaze. Debatably he’s a genius and I tend to lean toward agreeing with that assessment. You’ve got to be a coldhearted snob not to think so…so there…you cold hearted snob!
I hope someone in the administration of the Fairchild Gardens got a really nice Christmas bonus for convincing the board of directors and Mr. Chihuly to join forces in a gorgeously dynamic presentation of his work at the Gardens. The sculptures are scattered throughout the acreage; both inside the conservatories and in hidden glades and are sometimes almost hidden along winding overgrown paths under canopies of rain forest-like growth. The more spectacular pieces are placed more obviously on plinths and precipices and in the center of ponds and waterways. Glass onion-shapes are floated in lakes and bird-like shapes emerge from glens of tropical fern and reed. I have no idea the number of works of art, but it must be in the hundreds. It is a truly spectacular…well, spectacle. The individual works are mostly site-specific and reflect the natural flora around each piece and, sometimes, come with a nice surprise of discovery as you make a sudden turn into another labyrinth of greenery.
I guess you can tell I was mightily impressed by the whole shebang. It’s an environment of beautiful trees and plants, beautifully placed and preserved, with spectacular gleaming glass sculpture to both complement and counterpoint the natural element. It’s Mother Nature and artistic technology partnered to enhance one another. It's beautiful to behold and food for thought. And I'm one hungry dude.