Chihuly: Gifts from the Artist

In celebration of world-renowned glass artist and Tacoma-native Dale Chihuly, we have given our extensive permanent collection of Chihuly glass a gallery of its own.

Tacoma Art Museum was the first museum in the region to present a juried exhibition of glass art. Since then, the museum has continued to collect and display extraordinary glass works from Northwest artists. In 1990, Dale Chihuly presented Tacoma Art Museum with a gift of more than 30 sculptures and drawings in honor of his father and brother. He has continued to build the museum’s collection while also generously donating his time and art to the City of Tacoma. Today, Tacoma boasts more installations of Chihuly’s artwork than any other city in the world.

This permanent display of glass artworks by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly is the premier collection of the artist's work on public long-term display, dating 1977 to present. The collection features examples from many of the artist's major series including Baskets, Sea Forms, Cylinders, Macchia, Persians, and Venetians. During the warmer summer and fall months, see Ma Chihuly's Floats, an installation of Niijima Floats installed on Richard Rhodes' stone wave.