Giving Back to Our Community - The Children's Museum of ...

The hands-on portion of the exhibit was positioned
beneath the tower and ceiling on the museum’s Lower
Level. Children and families gazed at the ceiling overhead
from a round, rotating platform or created their own
sculptures utilizing poly vitro pieces that mimic the
unique glass designs in the tower and other Chihuly
installations. On computer touch screens, visitors
explored a 180-degree image of Chihuly’s hot shops and
developed their own virtual blown glass sculptures.
Other programs taught visitors about Chihuly, his team
and the art of glassblowing, and offered more details on
the creation and installation of Fireworks of Glass.
Also on the Lower Level, the SpaceQuest ® Planetarium
debuted Chihuly’s World of Glass, a theatrical interpretation
of the artist’s Seattle studio and glass-blowing
process. Narrated by Chihuly himself and developed by
museum staff, this dynamic film culminated with the
tower’s construction through time-lapse photography.
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Artists from Chihuly’s workshop install the glass on
the armature for Fireworks of Glass.
Detail of Fiori dei Bambini: A Chihuly Garden of Glass
for Children, a temporary exhibit at the museum.
To further enhance the Fireworks of Glass experience,
the museum presented the Hot Glass Roadshow — a traveling
hot shop presented by New York’s Corning Museum
of Glass. On Festival Park from March 18 to June 4, visitors
interacted with a skilled team of glassmakers as they
created unique, blown glass designs — many of which
were then displayed inside the museum. From the stage
of the 35,000-pound, 28-foot-long Roadshow unit, a narrator
explained the fascinating glassblowing process to
large, attentive audiences.
The entire institution embraced the opening in a collaborative
and supportive manner: Festival Park and the 29th and 30th Street corridor bordering the museum’s
campus were dressed in colorful Fireworks of Glass
banners, and member families created more than 500
artistic flowers that were “planted” on museum grounds.
A “Chihuly 101” training program prepared almost 300
staff members and volunteers for the exhibition opening.
Unique Web site companion pieces were developed to
extend the Fireworks of Glass experience beyond a visit
to the museum. Commemorative membership cards
were produced to celebrate the exhibit’s opening, and
The Children’s Museum Store staff selected an array of
glass art and jewelry to enhance its merchandise mix and
generate incremental sales revenue. Exclusive preview
events were held for educators and donors, culminating
with the Gala of Glitter and Glass, presented by Chubb
Group of Insurance Companies. With special guest Dale
Chihuly in attendance, the black tie evening and exhibit
unveiling netted over $137,000 in support of the
museum’s annual fundraising goals.
ANNUAL REPORT 2006 THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS
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