Chihuly Collection

The museum is not the biggest Chihuly collection I've seen but it is a beautiful and varied collection. I enjoyed watching the movie as much as anything. The chandeliers, as always, are amazing. The best part hands down is watching the demonstration. Two artists demonstrate how they create an amazing piece of art. One narrates and explains what's going on, then she assists with the main artist. Just so you know, It's warm in there, despite the largest ceiling fan I've ever seen. haha. But what an incredible opportunity to watch amazing artists! Love it!

I'm not a huge museum fan, but this place is a great addition for a fun and interesting day in St. Pete's. The museum itself is pretty small and the average person could browse through it in an hour or less. Add another hour for the glass making demo and gift shopping! The glass work is amazing and gorgeous, the glass making demonstration is interesting, and of course, the gift shop has a lot of beautiful goodies. We took the time to sit through the short video about Chihuly and that helped make the experience feel more interesting and personal. Two hour street parking was convenient in front of the museum when we went mid-week, but I'm not sure how much availability would be there on weekends. The surrounding neighborhood is perfect for a stroll, dining, shopping, or a drink in one of the sidewalk eateries.

We arrived a little over an hour before closing and were greeted by a friendly and helpful man at the front. We were assured that we could see the collection and watch glassblowing in the time we had. He was not wrong. He even walked around letting everyone know it was time to head over to watch the glassblowing so no one missed it.

We took in some of the pieces with some fun photo ops before heading over to catch the last glass blowing demonstration. The demonstration was great to watch and took about 20 minutes. It was a couple minute walk across the street. It gives you a real life demonstration of the work that goes into creating the pieces. My teens had a greater appreciation for the collection after seeing this.

We returned to finish seeing the Chihuly collection and watched to video there. The video really puts the work into perspective. We even had a few minutes to walk the gift shop before closing.

Great experience, enjoyed by teens. Fun family activity that does not need a full day to do.

Unbelievable!! Stunning pieces beautifully displayed. There's a self-guided audio tour provided as part of the $20 USD admission. Also includes a 30 min glass blowing demonstration which was amazing. A video profile of the artist, provides significant insights into how he creates the pieces. There's a shop to purchase stunning pieces. Definitely worth the price of admission!!

The Chihuly Collection is located in the Morean Arts Center, which houses a permanent collection of Chihuly artwork. It features 18 large-scale installations, including the "Florida Rose Crystal Tower." The collection is relatively small and can usually be covered in no more than an hour. It is also a smaller version of the Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, Washington. So, if you have already visited the one in Seattle, I would not recommend visiting this one; you would not find anything new.

Charming Chihuly
Bucket list. We were in St. Petersburg for four days to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. I have been fascinated with Dale Chihuly for some time and since we will not get to Seattle to see his premier work, I was excited to learn about the first installation of his work in a building designed for that purpose. Chihuly is a pioneer in the studio glass movement and leads in the development of complex structures and environmental art.

While the display is smaller, the pieces are nonetheless impressive. Several chandeliers grace the ceiling of the building and range in size from 3-30 feet in length and are made up to 1,000 elements of glass including one of the most famous, "Iconic Ruby Red Icicle." One walkway features many pieces in the ceiling making you want to lie down and gaze up at the beauty. Glass-related gifts, books and other items are available in the gift shop.

We did not find any discounts or coupons for entry and paid $18 each for the senior rate. However, admission covers entry to the Morean Arts Center directly across the street for glass blowing demonstrations on the hour. This is a must to see how a hot, sweaty, tricky trade that requires intense concentration and timing results in beautiful glass art. Viewers sit on bleachers in a covered area at the back of the center. The glass blower and his fellow colleague have been blowing glass for 10 years. One of the glass blowers lived in Venice for a few years and studied in Murano.

The furnace temperatures range from 1,000 to 2,000 degrees F. Many steps are required to create one of the scalloped pieces similar to those we saw in the collection. It takes 24 hours for the final pieces to cool in the coolers in the demo area. One of the trickiest parts is separating the glass from the rod which the pair did with finesse and success. We watched as the piece was widened and color added to the rim.

Friends have mentioned seeing his work in Milwaukee and Madison, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Columbus, OH, Nashville and at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC.

It's hard to come up with fresh new things to say about chihuly glass collection.
Innovative, avant-garde, pushing the limits, imaginative cutting edge.
Never mind my ramblings.
Just go to the museum and experience this fabulous art for yourself.
This will be the $18 dollars you have spent in many a year.

I'd never heard of Dale Chihuly before until my friend showed me a YouTube video! I'm not usually keen on abstract modern art so this helped me understand just how ground breaking his glassworks are!
Loved the joyfulness of the exhibit! Took far too many photos!! Fee includes visit to glassworks opposite.

This is where young developing glass masters explain their work, the effects of different actions on glass and generally help you understand what work and skill goes into their work! Awesome!

Allow a couple of hours minimum to view the exhibition, watch the film and then go to glassworks which is timed so check when they are we did glassworks then returned for the final bit of exhibition and film.

This is art as beautiful as it can get 😍 Make time to see also the movie and the glass blowing demo, which is on every full hour starting at noon in the building across the Central Avenue.

Stopped at this exhibit on our way out of Petersburg and I am so glad we did. Chihuly’s works are possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! I only wish we had stayed for the glassblowing demonstration

One the best museums in St Petersburg! Really enjoyed the glass blowing presentation as well

Very good collection of Chihuly works. Nice presentation of pieces and a decent variety. Worthy visit when in the area.

What a great experience. Bring your ear bubs as there is an audio guide with your admission. Fantastic exhibits. Be sure to see the glass blowing demo included with your admission and located a block away. Plenty of 2 hour parking on street. Hard to find longer parking. Nice area to walk, shop and have a bite to eat.

Lovely place to visit. The works were beautiful and we were able to take our time and admire everything. And the ticket purchase included an art gallery, clay gallery and a glass blowing demo. We visited 4 places for the price of 1 ticket. What a great way to spend a day!

Interesting museum. Glass blowing demonstration so cool to watch. Collection was like nothing I've ever seen before. Beautiful!

Entrance comes with a glass blowing demonstration! My mom and sister loved it. Great way to spend 90 minutes in St. Pete.

We visited the Chihuly Collection a few years ago while vacationing in St. Petersburg. It was awesome seeing all of the displays, and we really enjoyed the experience.

It's a beautiful art Gallery... the works of Chihuly are truly incredible and it brings more questions than answers. The beauty of the collection is stunning and really makes you wonder how somebody created these pieces!

Gorgeous artwork, a free glass blowing demonstration with tickets, and an amazing history- what else could you ask for?

Super mesmerizing!! The teens enjoyed it as much if not more than I did. Such precision and attention to details..omg!! I hoped to see a demonstration, but no one was available on the weekend..it was still beautiful! The store was a bit pricey,but had a great selection of items..