Chihuly at Cheekwood - blending contemporary art with nature

Cheekwood was the former estate of the Cheek family that made their fortune in the turn of the century from the ubiquitous Maxwell House coffee brand. The estate is now open to the public and boasts a lush botanical garden while the chateau-sized Georgian-style mansion houses an eclectic collection of American and European decorative art.


A special installation-art exhibition by avant-garde artist Dale Chihuly, who specializes in whimsical glass sculptures, is ongoing at Cheekwood. Thematic compositions of glass sculptures were installed in various sections of the garden such as the Japanese stone garden, the cascading ponds, the reflecting pool next to the mansion, and in the mansion itself. These sculptures were cast in bright red, orange, purple, pink, and other psychedelic hues that sometimes complement but mostly competed with the blooms in the garden, creating a dizzy and cacophonic explosion of colors. 

Japanese Garden

Some of the Chihuly glass versus grass juxtaposition worked marvelously while I thought others were less successful, at least to my untrained eye. The composition of blue herons in the reflecting pool for example was very pleasing. These herons were placed in a sensible context, with the sculptures casting beautiful reflections in the water amidst tall reeds. On the other hand, the exhibit of giant colored spheres scattered on the Zen stone garden broke the meditative quality embodied in the deliberate lines in the pebbled grounds.

Herons

Zen Garden

The garden on its own merits was definitely well worth visiting. Free-form walking paths bring visitors through the different sections of the mostly informal garden. The gently rolling slopes, cascading ponds, pavilions, stone sculptures, fountains, and other features all blended nicely into an pleasant garden experience. The modest collection of trees (pine, spruce, maple, dogwood), seasonal flowers such as canna lilies (yes this was pretty far south), succulents, and wildflowers was a delight to admire. I was fascinated by the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), decked with strings of curious purple berries, which I've not encountered before.

American beautyberry

Even now in mid-September, the heat was still unbearable at 93 deg F, so having the mansion to break up the garden tour was definitely welcome. The grandeur of the mansion was impressive, showing off the family's fairly recently minted wealth and was certainly fit for royalty. The collection of Chihuly's installations continues in the mansion, along with exquisite Faberge imperial eggs, and the permanent collection of decorative silverware and china. Great place to spend an afternoon:)