Chihuly at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

This past Saturday I was able to visit Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI to see - and experience - Chihuly at Meijer Gardens - it was an incredible experience from start to finish! I have to say before I write about Chihuly, the staff and volunteers at Frederik Meijer Gardens are everything you would want them to be - they are kind, respectful, helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable, and seem truly happy you are there at a place they clearly value. 

The Chihuly exhibit at Meijer Gardens runs through November 1, 2026 and is available to be enjoyed in two parts. The first is the outdoor exhibits which are included in the cost of your ticket to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. With your admittance to the Park, you are able to wander and explore as you experience 12 unique and beautiful Chihuly art installations. I will write in a minute about these experiences with Chihuly.

The second part of the Chihuly exhibit is the inside experience -

Chihuly: Radiant Forms. To see this exhibit you need an additional ticket - Meijer Gardens says, "The gallery exhibition, CHIHULY: Radiant Forms, traces the artist’s evolution over more than six decades as he daringly stretched the limits of glass art. From his early works which use gravity to create soft, collapsing shapes to grand architectural installations comprising dozens of separate pieces to layered paintings on glass which play with depth perception, Chihuly’s career has been marked by curiosity and experimentation, enlisting techniques both ancient and contemporary.

Along with demonstrating Chihuly’s mastery and skill, the selections on view reveal the many natural and cultural sources which inspire his luminous art. Featuring iconic series such as Baskets, Cylinders, Ikebana, Persians, and Venetians, the exhibition highlights Chihuly’s ongoing engagement with global traditions, ranging from indigenous North America to Southern Europe, the Middle East to Asia."

A nice description for sure, but I will add the bowls and glass-work showcased in this gallery are nothing short of incredible. I loved the color - especially the very dark red glass bowls and the light pink bowls. I loved the variety of designs and again, color used throughout the gallery. I loved the unexpected creations which left myself and those who came with me actually amazed and thoroughly impressed. It would be easy to spend hours enjoying the beauty and design in CHIHULY: Radiant Forms.

Now for the outside exhibit. Meijer Gardens says, "Step into a world

where color floats, curls and glows." I absolutely LOVE the outside Chihuly exhibits. Again, so much color, deep, bold, vibrant shades of color, so many shapes, so many unexpected combinations - when a nearly 13 year old says, "Very cool! Very beautiful!" (my grandson was most definitely impressed), it is certainly an impressive exhibit - and something the entire family will absolutely enjoy for sure! My daughter says, "Chihuly captures glass with vibrant colors and designs and showcases the ways glass art should be experienced." She is correct.

As you wander through the Sculpture Park, the Japanese Garden, the English Garden, and visit the Rooftop Sculpture area, you will discover 12 Chihuly exhibits which will cause you to stop, marvel, and absolutely enjoy the color, the design, and the beauty of Chihuly.

Meijer Gardens says, "Across 158 acres, Chihuly’s vibrant glass unfolds among gardens, water, and sky—revealing moments of beauty around every turn.
Wander freely. Take your time.

Let each discovery lead to the next."

I agree - the Chihuly outside exhibit absolutely provides "beauty around every turn"! 

So, who is Chihuly? Meijer Garden says, "Dale Chihuly is an American artist who transforms spaces with experiments in color, light, transparency, and form. He is known for his exhibitions and large-scale architectural installations around the world and for revolutionizing the studio glass movement. Chihuly works with a variety of media including glass, paint, charcoal, neon, ice, and Polyvitro, and his work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide, including Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Corning Museum of Glass."

You can certainly wander through the Sculpture Park enjoying everything you see - and there is SO much to see, buy you could also take the hop-on, hop-off tram to get an overview of the park. The tram stops in four locations throughout the park so you can get off the tram if you choose and spend time exploring the area, then hop on the next tram and continue on the ride. Not only is the tram a great way to see the Sculpture Park, but you will hear interesting facts about much of the features of the Park.

We took the tram and then hopped off at the Large Waterfall and walked through the rest of the Sculpture Park and through the Japanese Garden. From there we enjoyed a walk through the Shade Garden, and stopped by the new Ice Cream Parlor in the Children's Garden - the ice cream was enjoyable, and the opportunity to take a closer look at the new Art-Sculpture-Slide, Big Girl Slide by Tom Otterness (and it is amazing!).

If you want to see more than a piece or two of Chihuly art this summer, there are only two places on Earth to do so - Venice, Italy, and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Unless you are traveling to Italy, I'd encourage you to make plans to visit Meijer Garden before November 1st! You will be SO glad you did!

Chihuly is absolutely a huge reason to visit Meijer Gardens, but there are so many more reasons to do so - here are just a few of them . . .

• The American Horse by Nina Akamu
• Emma Sail by Anthony Caro
• Lena’s Garden and Gilded Champagne Gardens Chandelier which are two of the Dale Chihuly art exhibits which are part of the permanent collect at Meijer Gardens
• Amalgam (Origin) by Nick Cave (one of my personal favorites)
• Scarlatti by Mark di Suvero
• Bent of Mind by Tony Cragg
• Grand Rapids Arch by Andy Goldsworthy
• Aria by Alexander Liberman
• Mad Mom by Tom Otterness
• Neuron by Roxy Paine
• I, you, she or he… by Jaume Plensa
• Two Indeterminate Lines by Bernar Venet
• Yizhaq & Eli’av by Boaz Vaadia
• Bronze Bowl with Lace by Ursula von Rydingsvard

All of these and so much more are just waiting for you to discover the beauty and awe which makes up Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. As you wander through the Sculpture Park, be sure to explore the side paths and don't forget to go downstairs in the main building - and out on the Rooftop Sculpture Park as well!

If you live in the area, make Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park a part of your life by getting a Membership - if you have it, you will use it - and you will be SO glad you do!

Meijer Garden gave me Media Passes so I could see all of Chihuly and take the tram ride for this post, but my opinions are my own.