If you are local and looking for something to do this summer, consider heading to Graham to see the exhibit of Chihuly glass. Dale Chihuly is an American sculptor of hand blown glass. This west coast artist takes a lot of his inspiration from the Italian glass blowing tradition. In the above photo, you see one of several pieces that originally formed a giant chandelier. It takes two rooms and an entrance hallway to display the entire piece. The exhibit, on display at Alamance Arts (213 South Main Street) in Graham, is free and open to the public. 

In the Graham exhibit, the Chihuly glass is arranged by size. The giant pieces with the curling, glass tentacles- that seem to stretch out to greet you- are located in the front room. The medium sized pieces are grouped together in another space. In the back room, all of the smaller, vase-size pieces can be seen. We’ve featured a few of the smaller pieces, below. If you go, be sure to be on the lookout for putti (cherubs) throughout the pieces. Some are hanging out in the mouths of dragons. One visitor interpreted the scene as the small, winged children being eaten; another saw them as playfully holding open the dragon’s mouth. Take a ride over and let us know what you think. The exhibit is a very manageable size and the price is unbeatable (free)! Usually there is more distance between Chihuly’s pieces and the viewing public; so, be careful.