The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Unveils
 Fireworks of Glass, Dale Chihuly's Largest Permanent
 Sculpture of Blown Glass
The grand opening of Fireworks of Glass is March 18, 2006.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Dedicated to creating extraordinary family learning experiences across the arts, sciences and humanities, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in conjunction with renowned artist Dale Chihuly, opens Fireworks of Glass, the largest permanent sculpture of Chihuly blown glass ever created.  The 43-foot Tower rises above a floating glass ceiling under which an innovative hands-on glassblowing exhibit for children and families is housed. Fireworks of Glass is a permanent world-class work of art for children and families to explore, learn about and create their own works of art.  

Located in the museum’s core, a five-story central atrium, the Chihuly sculpture and ceiling will be seen by more visitors than any other exhibit in the museum. “An estimated 60 million children and families and up to 7 million school children, and their teachers, over the next 50 years will view Fireworks of Glass, an extraordinary work of art that would not normally be seen in a children’s museum,” said Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. 

“Glass is the most magical of all materials.  It transmits light in a special way…I’m pleased that my art appeals to so many people of all ages.  As a parent and an artist, I’m especially looking forward to leaving a legacy at The Children’s Museum, a place where I hope my work brings joy to children who visit from all over the world,” said Dale Chihuly.

“The Children’s Museum is known for providing outstanding opportunities for the exploration of the sciences, history and humanities. This one of a kind work of art will serve as an icon for cultural tourism for our city,” said Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson.  

Fireworks of Glass:
Standing more than 43-feet tall, Fireworks of Glass is comprised of more than 3,200 individually blown, glass pieces.

During the day, it is bathed in natural light and is spectacularly lit at night for evening events.  Children and families can circle the tower via the museum’s ramps to explore the sculpture from all sides. 

Fireworks of Glass Ceiling:
The Fireworks of Glass ceiling is cross shaped, and consists of more than 1,600 brilliant, colorful glass pieces in a myriad of shapes. Exotic-named pieces such as Sea Tubes, Hornballs, Persians, and Putti are displayed inside a suspended glass ceiling with the tower mounted above. From the museum’s Lower Level, children and their families are able to sit on a revolving viewing platform below the illuminated ceiling and talk about what they see overhead. Special lighting  highlights individual pieces and casts dramatic colors and patterns on the floor and walls.

The Interactive Hands-On Exhibit:
Underneath the ceiling of Fireworks of Glass, is a permanent hands-on interactive exhibit area featuring learning stations where visitors create their own sculptures from a wide variety of colorful, molded glass-like shapes called polyvitro. Family-sized benches, surrounded by computer touch screens, accommodate families as they blow their own virtual glass art piece. Visitors can also view a 180-degree virtual image of the Hot Shop where Chihuly and his team blow glass. On-screen boxes pop up with information about Chihuly, his artwork, the glassblowing process and the design, creation and installation of Fireworks of Glass.

Beyond the Museum Walls:
As a new museum icon and symbol in our community, Fireworks Tower of Glass extends beyond the museum walls.  The museum developed a unit of study focusing on the art of glassblowing, Dale Chihuly and the tower and ceiling.  Teachers can participate in ongoing professional development institutes.

Web Site:
Visitors to the museum Web site focuses on information about Dale Chihuly, what inspires him, and the processes he used to create Fireworks of Glass.  The web contains video interviews with Chihuly and his team, photos and drawings.

In addition, the web site includes glassblowing interactives for classrooms and families, a virtual hotshop and a link to Chihuly’s Web site.  Children can make their own art work and post it online for others to enjoy. 

Chihuly’s World of Glass SpaceQuest® Planetarium Show:
Find out how Dale Chihuly and his team created the impressive Fireworks of Glass in Chihuly’s World of Glass in the museum’s SpaceQuest Planetarium. The theatrical interpretation, narrated by Dale Chihuly is complete with hot shop sounds and furnace-like lighting effects.  Ideal for children ages 5 and older, Chihuly’s World of Glass will end with the construction of Fireworks of Glass shown in time-lapse photography.

Hot Glass Roadshow:
To celebrate the opening of Fireworks of Glass, a traveling hotshop called the Hot Glass Roadshow presented by New York’s Corning Museum of Glass, has made a special stop on Festival Park through June 4, 2006.  During its stay at The Children’s Museum, visitors can watch skilled Roadshow glassmakers create glass art and learn more about the glassblowing process through a narrator, who will explain the onstage activities during each presentation.

Created in 2001 and first introduced in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics, this state-of-the-art, fully self-contained studio on wheels provides outdoor demonstrations for more than 100,000 people each year.  The 35,000-pound, 28-foot-long Roadshow unit includes a 300-pound glass melting furnace, a full complement of irons, blowpipes, and hand tools that enable glassmakers to create a wide variety of hand-blown items while children and families watch.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St. The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Open Mondays, March – Labor Day only.)  Admission prices are as follows: Under 2 free; Youths (2 – 17), $7.00; Adults, $12.00; and Seniors (60+), $11.00.