Find joy. Worry less.
Just look.
It looked almost good enough to eat: The cascade of shiny yellow, orange and red glass sculptures framed by inky green palm fronds, dominating a room full of tropical foliage.
The massive Sunset Chandelier was the final stop on a tour of Dale Chihuly sculptures and paintings I saw last weekend at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. This Gilded Age fantasyland (the oldest conservatory building dates from 1895, according to our excellent tour guide) is in the heart of the city. It turns out their Chihuly collection actually belongs to the conservatory, purchased by a far-sighted friends group after a wildly successful exhibition in 2003.
But all that isn’t why I’m telling you about it today.
If you’ve ever seen any Chihuly glasswork — I’ve mostly only seen pictures — you know that the 83-year-old artist and his team often work in brilliant, saturated color, with forms that twist and bend in joyful, unexpected ways. His sculptures are mostly large in scale; the setting and light make a big difference in how they look, but they’re always impressive. I was lucky enough to see them at night, lit to be their most spectacular.
As we wound through the various galleries and marveled at the incredible colors, shapes and settings, I could feel my shoulders relax. My best friend and I were mostly quiet — unusual for us — drinking in the colors and stories.
Somehow, I realized that all I needed to do in that moment was look. That’s all.
I didn’t wonder, for a few minutes, what my next swipe through the headlines would reveal. I didn’t go down the various rabbit holes of anxiety about everything from cancer research to air safety to the future of Europe that I have been living in these last weeks.
Not that I forgot about my concerns for our country and the world. Not at all.
But filling my mind with those brilliant colors, thinking about the teams of artists who made them and breathing in the dirt-perfumed air gave me a moment of serenity I haven’t felt in a long time.
I have a lot of friends these days who tell me that they just can’t follow the news right now, or that they’ve tuned it all out. I totally get that.
But the massive changes the current administration is making in our country and the world will affect us all for years to come. We need as many of us as possible to stay involved and engaged, doing what we can to protect our vulnerable neighbors and push back on the outrageous autocratic impulses of our most powerful leaders.
It’s exhausting, for sure.
Which is why my delight in the Chihulys at night made such an impression. I am already looking for my next dose of beauty, joy and serenity.
How about you?
For your next dose, I recommend the Sculpture Gardens at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The grounds alone are enough beauty to justify the drive to N.O (live oaks with spanish moss all over). The sculptures are beautifully placed, sometimes soothing, sometimes whimsical, and sometimes achingly beautiful.
Time for me to visit our botanical garden and drink in some Chihuly! (We're fortunate to have a large beautiful piece on permanent display in the lobby.) Time spent on the tennis court is my favorite distraction from it all...total focus and all smiles for at least the hour at hand.