CHIHULY Walla Wallas at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

I am blessed to currently live outside Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is where Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is located. My husband and I have a membership and tend to visit nearly every week. There are so many beautiful and amazing things to see all year long at Meijer Gardens, but this is even more true now through November 1st as the Dale Chihuly exhibit is able to be enjoyed throughout the Sculpture Park. I thought it would be interesting to share with you some information I found online about the beautiful sculptures and a bit of background on each piece - today I'm happy to give you a closer look at CHIHULY Walla Wallas at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park . . .

Dale Chihuly’s Walla Wallas are a specific series of onion-shaped, buoyant glass sculptures named after Washington State’s famous sweet onions. They are characterized by their bulbous shapes, long spiraled finials, and vibrant colors designed to float and reflect light on outdoor water features. 

• Key Features and Design
  Inspiration: Inspired by Japanese fishing floats and named after the signature large onions of the artist's home state.
  Form: Handblown glass spheres topped with elegant, twisting spiraled finials.
  Interaction: Created to float in reflecting pools, ponds, and slow-moving water, turning aquatic environments into living canvases of shifting color and light reflections. 
  Exhibitions and Placement
  Botanical Settings: Frequently featured in major outdoor garden exhibitions worldwide, such as the Missouri Botanical Garden and temporary large-scale retrospectives at public nature and sculpture parks. 
  Environmental Art: Part of Chihuly's broader practice of moving glass art out of traditional white-cube galleries and into direct, site-specific dialogue with nature, water, and sky.

Walla Wallas are in the pond just outside the main building as you enter the Sculpture Park and this is the perfect location for them as they add so much color and fun to this little pond!

If you live near Frederik Meijer Gardens, or are able to visit before November 1, 2026, be sure to check out the Chihuly exhibit - I do believe you will be so glad you do!