Is It Worth It? Chihuly in the Park

I know what you're thinking. It's glass in water amongst some plants. It's much more.

Chihuly in the Park is Mayor Daley's latest push to add culture to Chicago. After the great success of all those cows and ping pong tables in years past, it's surprising he's found one that is actually very nice to go see. This time, the culture is inside in a warm place, the Garfield Park Conservatory.

While I lived in Chicago, I would usually find my way to more

the Lincoln Park Conservatory a couple times a winter. I discovered it one of my first winters there and it was a breath of warm, humid, well-oxygenated air. It felt good to just wander through there and get the quick boost to the system. Just before I moved, I found the Garfield Park Conservatory when I attended a wedding reception in the Horticulture Hall. I am an advocate of the conservatories because of the quiet peacefulness in the city. And the oxygen.

So, I'm told about Chihuly exhibit when I first arrived to town and it sounded worth checking out. At least for a quick warm up in the not so welcoming Chicago winter to which I had returned.

To get to the good part, it IS worth it. His glass sculptures add a natural looking diversion to the already impressive plant life. Situated among ferns and other plants whose names I'll never know his choice of color create the feeling on the landscape of another planet. Or, at least, another part of this planet.

At the main entrance is one of his signature towers in blue and white. Take a closer look and find the clear glass at the end of the pointy branches. There are details that you don't see right away; a kind of trick of the eye. Take a good long look at his work. Take another, longer look and you will begin to see the magic of sculpted glass -- the small effect such as a tiny red band encircling the piece or a simple dot of color on another.

The last thing about Chihuly In The Park is that it's nearly free. The free parking lot is right next to the building, the Green Line El stops right in front of it (Central Park Avenue), and admission is free, but a donation box collects money to help replace the glass of the greenhouse.

Not only that, but it's EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER! You have no excuse to miss this show. Moe says so.