Dale Chihuly, a glassworker of considerable
renown and acclaim, graced New Orleans's Botanical Garden in City Park with his towering floral artwork
aptly named "Rose Crystal Tower" back in 2018. The gorgeous, colossal tower is
composed of a glassy-plastic compound as well as steel and stands at an
impressive 22 feet tall. Seeing as how the installment was only a temporary
loan, any interested parties should make a concerted effort to view this
masterpiece in person before it is whisked out of the Botanical Gardens come
the new year.
Chihuly has been surprising and
innovating in the field of glasswork for a staggering 50 years now, and his
continued production of masterpieces like Rose Crystal Tower cement his name
among the true envelope-pushers of the crowd. Pictures and descriptions often
fail to do such artwork justice, so it is important for you to actually visit
this in-person to be able to fully appreciate the craftsmanship. Chihuly is
quite the proficient artist, with hundreds of his works present in museums and
exhibits across the nation. Part of the magic of the Rose Crystal Tower, however,
is that it is not locked down in any museum or regulated space. Chihuly and the
City of New Orleans made a conscious decision to have it placed in a fairly
open area of the park, where it looms silently in a dazzling sort of way.
The prowess of the artist cannot be
understated; as any glassworker knows, even small pieces can be a true pain to
perfect in crafting. Forging titanic, looming entities in the field is an
entirely different realm, and it takes a true master to be able to do so as
deftly as Chihuly has and continues to do. The Rose Crystal Tower will no
longer be in City Park come the first of the year, so please visit it while you
still have the chance.
City Park Botanical Garden: 5 Victory Ave., City Park, neworleanscitypark.com/botanical-garden