The Chihuly Collection
 Presented by
the Morean Arts Center
Opening July 11th, 2010

Tickets for the Chihuly Collection and HotShop will be available the week of June 7th

New facility to house acquisition

St. Petersburg, FL (March 8, 2010) The Board of Trustees of the Morean Arts Center is pleased to announce that "The Chihuly Collection presented by the Morean Arts Center" will open to the public July 11, 2010 at 400 Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. "We are very excited and proud to bring the work of the world-renowned artist, Dale Chihuly, to the Tampa Bay region,” said Katee Tully, Executive Director of the Morean Arts Center.  “This underscores not only the commitment of the Morean Arts Center, but it further cements St. Petersburg’s reputation as a leading destination for the creative arts.” The Chihuly Collection will be exhibited in the Morean’s new 10,000 square foot space on Beach Drive. This new acquisition by the Morean Arts Center is a prime example of its leadership in the arts and in arts education in the region.

A pioneer of the studio glass movement, Chihuly is credited with transforming the methods of creating glass art and thereby leading the development of complex, multi-part glass sculptures and environmental art. However, his contributions extend well beyond the boundaries of the studio glass movement and even the field of glass: his achievements have influenced contemporary art in general.  “I look forward to bringing my artwork to the Morean Arts Center and to the City of St. Petersburg,” said Chihuly.

Five years ago the Morean Arts Center articulated a vision to bring a permanent collection of Dale Chihuly’s work to St. Petersburg to enrich the arts community, and with this announcement, the dream is only a few months away from becoming reality.

Morean Arts Center:  With roots dating back to 1917, the Morean Arts Center has focused on an innovative community-oriented approach to art and arts education. The Morean is known as one of the most successful visual arts organizations in the region, offering studio classes in virtually every visual medium; mounting 15-20 contemporary art exhibitions a year in its galleries; creating a robust clay program offered at the Historic Train Station; and providing a wide variety of family and children’s programming, school tours, the highly-praised Word & Image program, summer camp, and other special events.  For more information about the Morean Arts Center, visit MoreanArtsCenter.org.   For additional information about Dale Chihuly, visit Chihuly.com.   Images can be downloaded at: http://moreanartscenter.org/chihuly_press_kit/