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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 9/27/07 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
May 10, 2004 Weidner lands Chihuly chandelier Piece by famed glass artist will hang at UWGB center By Warren Gerds His fantastical art is found in places ranging from the Bellagio Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The chandelier for the Weidner is made up of more than 450 individual
pieces of blown glass.
The cost of the 12-by-8-foot chandelier, including its its installation,
is $350,000.
The piece will hang at the Weidner permanently.
"For the Weidner to have that, it's something that people will go out
of their way to see," said Jeremy Popelka, who owns a glass studio in
Sturgeon Bay and studied with Chihuly.
"They're going to have tours. Buses of people will just want to see
it. It kind of puts the center on the map."
The chandelier recently was assembled in one of Chihuly's facilities
in Seattle. It was shown to donors and Weidner officials.
"People standing there looking at it literally started to cry," said
David Fleming, Weidner executive director. "It had that kind of emotional
power. It was a pretty remarkable experience."
A native of Tacoma, Wash., Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program
established in the United States at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
One of Chihuly's large wall pieces hangs in the Kohl Center there.
The Kohl piece is wonderful, said Roger Lindgren, who operates El-Franz
Professional Hair Stylists in Green Bay.
Not only is the glass made up of intricate textures and colors, how
the sculpture is installed is a feat in itself, Lindgren said.
He got caught up in Chihuly's art two years ago at the graduation of
his daughter, Dr. Kristen Lindgren, from the University of Wisconsin Medical
School.
His snapshots of the day include photos specifically of the wall hanging.
"You go to your kid's graduation and end up with pictures of glass,"
he said.
The work at the Weidner will be named the Josephine B. Lenfestey Chandelier
in her memory. The lead donors are members of her family. Other donors
contributed to project.
"These chandeliers have been at Oscar ceremonies, the millennium ceremony
in Chicago," Popelka said. "They've been all over the world."
Chihuly pieces are in permanent collections of museums. They're also
in special exhibitions, as "Chihuly Over Venice," which was first displayed
in Venice and then recreated at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
"When you say 'glass,' you immediately think of Dale Chihuly," Popelka
said. "When I see people, they always ask me about Chihuly — if they
can pronounce his name.
"They want to know everything about him. He's transcended the field
completely. It's amazing."
At a glance
• The Josephine B. Lenfestey Chandelier will be paid for
by private donors: The Lenfestey Family Foundation, Green Bay; Bob and
Carol Bush, Green Bay; Tom and Sharon Lutsey, Green Bay; Phil and Betsy
Hendrickson, Green Bay; and Anne and Minnow Emerson, Fish Creek.
• Created at Dale Chihuly's studios in Seattle, Wash., the
chandelier's pieces will be individually wrapped and shipped to Green
Bay.
• Installation, which will take approximately three days,
will take place in June in the main lobby of the Weidner Center.
• A public unveiling will be held at the Sept. 12 season-opening
concert of Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. A public
reception is planned to feature the Chihuly sculpture.
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