Chihuly in the Garden

In 2004, Atlanta Botanical Garden Executive Director Mary Pat Matheson secured the most prestigious exhibit in the Atlanta Botanical Garden's history, Chihuly in the Garden. An exhibition of 50 original glass sculptures by internationally renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly were on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden from May 1-Oct. 31, with an extended run through Dec. 31, 2004. The nine-month blockbuster exhibition, sponsored by Target Stores, brought the Atlanta Botanical Garden to the forefront of cultural tourism in the Southeast.

The exhibition presented Chihuly's stunning glass sculptures within the Atlanta Botanical Garden's lush botanical setting. Hailed as Atlanta's cultural event of the year, Chihuly in the Garden wove together art and nature. The majesty of Dale Chihuly's glass was showcased with the inspiring plant collections of the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

"Chihuly in the Garden startled visitor expectations, stretched their imaginations and offered a new way of experiencing plants and art," Matheson said. As a result of the success of the Atlanta exhibition, Matheson hosted delegations from Kew Gardens in London, Detroit Botanical Garden, Denver Botanic Gardens and New York Botanical Garden, fielding their questions about staging Chihuly in those public gardens.

One of the sculptures, the Nepenthes Chandelier, remains as a permanent legacy of the exhibition. Inspired by the Atlanta Botanical Garden's tropical carnivorous pitcher plant collection, it was donated to the Atlanta Botanical Garden thanks to the generosity of David J. Tufts. The Nepenthes Chandelier hangs in the Hardin Visitor Center and is a memorial to David Tufts' partner, Jefferson I. Lewis, a Chihuly collector.

Matheson's farsighted vision of bringing the work of this internationally renowned glass sculptor to Atlanta paid off handsomely. Garden visitation in 2004 more than doubled to 425,000; Gift Shop sales were up 400 percent after selling 70 studio pieces, and membership was at an all-time high for the Atlanta Botanical Garden, with 19,000 member households. Chihuly Nights extended Atlanta Botanical Garden hours every Tuesday evening, with dinner and wine available for purchase. A video documentary about Chihuly in the Garden was produced by WSB-TV and ran continuously in the Exhibit Hall, and audio tours were available for visitors.

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau has publicly recognized this achievement, and estimated the Chihuly in the Garden exhibition brought in $50-$60 million and approximately 1,000 hotel-nights to the City of Atlanta during its nine-month run. "This is a conservative estimate, based on the formula for computing economic impact that is endorsed by the Travel Industry Association of America," said ACVB representatives.