Field Trip - Chihuly Style

Have you ever heard of Dale Chihuly...a master glass artist? I had seen one of his indoor exhibits in Chicago a few years ago and was intrigued by his use of color and design and medium set in natural settings. Each piece of glass, or exhibit, tells a story meant to blend art and nature.

Then just a week ago I accompanied my favorite 5th grade class, my classroom of budding photographers, on a field trip to Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, in Grand Rapids, MI, where a huge Chihuly exhibit was nestled not just indoors, but outdoors in waterfalls and ponds, over hillside and gardens. And I was blown away. His "fine art glass blowing" is exquisite.

My photographers did an awesome job of "looking at different angles," developing artistic "compositions" and determining "point of view" - all vocabulary terms they'd learned during my in-school instructional time with them. This age group just soaks up the arts, and I am once again moved to find a way to increase that appreciation for arts in the schools in any way I can.

This coming week I go in again, for the picture sharing as well as to hear the words they've created to further enhance their photographs. The classroom teacher has been working on poetry and descriptive writing, and the students are anxious to share their talents. Look for some examples next week!

If you have the chance to see a Chihuly exhibit, do. My personal favorites are the outdoor pieces, but I found some of the lily pads arranged in indoor gardens very beautiful as well.

Enjoy