Forget about lawn gnomes and tacky plastic flamingoes. The Franklin Park Conservatory added a whole new breed of garden ornaments to their greenhouse. Amidst trees and cacti lies a garden of glass. Towering to the ceiling, vibrant hand-blown glass in the shapes of plants and flowers are integrated with their real-life counterparts.
“People from the beginning of gardening have always been interested in putting artwork in their gardens,” said Laura Schmid, spokeswoman for the Conservatory. This ranges from stone statues in the days of ancient Greece to today’s residential backyards.
“We have taken this classical idea and pushed the envelope by putting artwork in a conventional botanical greenhouse,” she said.
The Conservatory, located at 1777 E. Broad Street, added Dale Chihuly’s “Fiori” collection Oct. 7, and will be showcasing the artwork as part of their tour until Feb.
“Chihuly is influenced by nature and has organic inspirations,” Schmid said. The series gets its name from the Italian word for flowers, and is open to the public for both aesthetic and educational purposes.
At the start of a tour of the Conservatory, visitors enter the Hot Shop, which is a room dedicated to explaining the process of glass blowing. On the wall are seven steps to the process that are demonstrated once a month during special programs at the Conservatory. During these programs, the floor is covered in graffiti, and examples of hand-blown glass are exhibited.
After the Hot Shop are the beautiful botanical gardens, complete with trickling waterfalls, stone tunnels, bamboo bridges and an array of exotic and unique plants. As the paths twist and turn, tourists are taken through desert, rainforest and Pacific Island settings. Many of Chihuly’s works are found around an unexpected turn.
The most impressive pieces are the enormous yellow cacti in the desert section and the lofty red and yellow Sunset Tower piece in the Pacific Island section. Also impressive, are the hand-blown glass “rocks” scattered in a pond inhabited by a family of fish in the Pacific Island section.
Visitors can also see the Mille Fiori exhibit in the Showhouse for free. It is an elaborate collection of Chihuly’s work, with patterned glass designs and intricate detailing.
The tour is completely indoors, and can serve as a peaceful refuge to many people, according to Schmid. “We are a fantastic place to offer a date or romantic destination,” she said.
Although there is no actual data to say for sure, Visitor Services spokeswoman at the Conservatory, Elizabeth Rose, said out of every 100 people that come to the exhibit, 10-15 of those are college-aged. Rose also said most of their visitors come during the weekend. Schmid said the amount of visitors seems to be on the rise since the addition of Chihuly’s “Fiori.”
“Of all of our exhibitions, Chihuly’s is by far the most compelling,” Schmid said. “The artwork is modern, and some people say it is sexy. It’s colorful, vibrant, and everyone responds to it.”
Schmid said the collection is an important part of the community and is one of the top cultural destinations in Columbus. The Conservatory is one of the few cultural institutions in the world to permanently house one of Chihuly’s major collections, according to the official Web site. Other locations with “Fiori” displays are New York, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Washington and Switzerland.
The Franklin Park Conservatory is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed on Monday’s. On Wednesday’s, the Conservatory is open until 8 p.m. Student tickets cost $6.
