Chihuly at the OKCMOA

TRAVEL THERE: CHIHULY IS ALIVE AND WELL AT THE OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART

We were in Oklahoma City to see Chihulys. You might say Deb and I are Chihuly Groupies.  It doesn’t bother us to go a little out of our way to add a piece to our collection of Chihuly sightings.  We know we are not alone.

My Love Affair with Chihuly

Though Chihuly was not unknown to me, I really didn’t pay that much attention to him until 1995 when one of his creations was added to the Dallas Museum of Art.  All of Dallas became Chihuly crazy and we just haven’t gotten over it.  That love affair was renewed when the Dallas Arboretum featured him throughout the garden in 2012.  In my opinion, the garden has never looked as good.  Were I one of those mega-rich people, I would have just bought the whole collection so it could stay here.

In my wanderings I’ve seen Chihulys in the Bellagio in Las Vegas and in the Casino at Atlantis in the Bahamas.  He’s graced gardens from San Antonio TX to St. Louis MO.  I saw him in a museum in Portland OR and in Flint MI.  Once in California Bill and I were taking a little vacation in Palm Desert where he played one of their golf courses.  While he signed up for his game, I stood awestruck looking at the chandelier.  I asked just to be sure I wasn’t mistaken, but yes, a Chihuly graced the clubhouse.

OKCMOA’s Chihuly Collection

Bill and I made a pilgrimage to OKCMOA back in 2011-12, while the museum was celebrating the re-installation of their Chihulys.  It’s one of our favorite shared memories.  I’d raved so long and so hard about it that Deb was dying to go.  The Trip With No Name gave us a reason to satisfy her longing.

Chihuly takes up most of the third floor of the museum.  In the exhibit area, the ambient lighting  has been turned way down and bright spotlights on the art makes it seem to reach out and grab you.

If you haven’t seen Chihuly in OK City, then you haven’t seen Chihuly at all – and since I’ve seen a lot of Chihulys, I know whereof I speak.  At the gift shop I bought a package of cards decorated with photos of his pieces at the museum.  I told myself I was getting them to share with you and then I could use them for correspondence.  Well, here I am, sharing them with you, but I somehow doubt they will ever make it to the mailbox.  I’m thinking they will make spectacular pages in my scrapbooks.

So enjoy these wonderful postcards and then come back next week.  We’re going to have a fabulous meal at the Museum Cafe before we head off to Wichita.