91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Public Lecture April 25 Sold-Out

SPOKANE, Wash. – 91³Ô¹ÏÍø University will bring internationally renowned artist Dale Chihuly to Spokane as part of its 125th Anniversary celebration to present a free public lecture at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 25 in the Bing Crosby Theater (901 W. Sprague Ave.). Free tickets for the public sold out March 26, the first day they were available.

“We are privileged to welcome one of the world’s most innovative and inspirational artists back to our campus as part of our anniversary year,” said 91³Ô¹ÏÍø President Thayne M. McCulloh. “91³Ô¹ÏÍø feels a special connection to Mr. Chihuly, and we are pleased to share his message on creativity and artistic expression with the community.”

The lecture coincides with the special 91³Ô¹ÏÍø exhibit “Chihuly: Tradition and Transformation,” which is on display in the Arcade Gallery, Jundt Art Museum, from April 5 through July 31. The exhibit includes glass as well as drawings the artist created during a session with students on 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s campus in 1995. Chihuly visited 91³Ô¹ÏÍø following the installation of his signature “Red Chandelier,” a permanent fixture that has occupied the interior apex of the Jundt Art Museum since its opening, a gift of Trustee Emeritus Duff and Dorothy Kennedy, and Trustee Emeritus Jim and Joann Jundt. The piece is a destination attraction for people throughout the Northwest and beyond.

Internationally celebrated in contemporary art and design, Chihuly’s prominence in the field of contemporary studio glass is unmatched. Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Wash., he was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1964, he enrolled in the nation’s first glass program, at University of Wisconsin.

Credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement and elevating the perception of the glass medium from the realm of craft to fine art, Chihuly is renowned for his ambitious architectural installations around the world in historic cities, museums and gardens. His work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Corning Museum of Glass.

Major exhibitions include Chihuly Over Venice (1995-96), Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem (1999), Garden Cycle (2001-12), as well as celebrated shows at de Young Museum in San Francisco (2008), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011) and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (20120). A permanent exhibition, Chihuly Garden and Glass opened at Seattle Center in 2012.

Chihuly joins an exceptional group of guest speakers and lecturers who have visited campus during 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s 125th Anniversary year, including Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman, internationally recognized creativity thinker Sir Ken Robinson, and world renowned primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall (April 9).

Tickets Available for GU Community
A limited number of free public tickets sold out March 26. A limited number of tickets remain available for 91³Ô¹ÏÍø students, faculty and staff, on a first-come, first-served basis, at the Crosby Student Center starting March 26. University identification is required; limit two tickets per person.

For more information, contact Mary Joan Hahn at (509) 313-6095 or via e-mail or Pete Tormey at (509) 313-6132 or via e-mail.