Today’s one word prompt: Glass.

We were in Indiana a few weeks ago and saw some beautiful works of art by Dale Chihuly, who specializes in glass sculptures.

“Fireworks of Glass” Tower and Ceiling by Dale Chihuly 2006

The poster telling about the Chihuly exhibit, “Fireworks of Glass”.

Tower of glass – Children’s Museum, Indianapolis. The tower is 43 feet tall and weighs 18,000 lbs.

The ceiling, also in the Children’s Museum, was spectacular, with hundreds of pieces of glass in a myriad of shapes, sizes and colors all jostled together to create an amazing glass mosaic. There was a sign challenging viewers to find different shapes. But I enjoyed just sitting on the circular, slowly rotating sofa in the middle of the room with my head resting on the top, gazing upward in awe.

A piece of the Chihuly ceiling, seen from below

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Our last day in Indiana we took a side trip south to Columbus. This small city is the sixth city in the U.S.A. for innovative architecture. (The other five are all large cities.) There are tours you can take to see the various architectural wonders, by such illustrious architects as Eliel and Eero Saarinen and I.M. Pei. There are interesting works of art all over town also. In the Visitors Center, our first stop (and where you must go to start any of the tours), there was this beautiful Chihuly chandelier over the stairway. At night, we were told, it is even more spectacular – it lights up because it’s filled with neon tubes!

There were two small Chihuly pieces actually for sale (the price wasn’t marked, but I didn’t bother to inquire!):

Another Chihuly limited edition piece for sale.

Limited edition Chihuly glass artwork for sale! I didn’t inquire about the price; I just liked the piece.

Dale Chihuly’s works of glass art are integrated into landscapes all over the country. I’ve seen them in botanical and cactus gardens. It’s always a pleasant surprise to encounter one!