Cheers For Chihuly

World-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly needed no fanfare when he entered the white tent in front of The Arts Center in late September.

The man's large frame and carriage reflected his stature in the art world. Wearing his distinctive eye patch and dressed in a black suit, purple shirt and paint-splattered athletic shoes, he looked every bit the legend he is.

Chihuly was in the Tampa Bay area to celebrate the groundbreaking for a 27,000-square-foot building at the renamed Beth Ann Morean Arts Center. When completed, it will house, among other things, a significant collection of Chihuly's works. It is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010.

"It will be the most comprehensive permanent collection of Chihuly's works in the United States,' said Chihuly representative Janet Makela.

"I can't emphasize enough how great it is to have my work in a museum here," Chihuly said during the groundbreaking ceremonies. "In the United States, there are only 20 museums that are devoted to one artist. I'm proud to be the 21st."

The 67-year-old Seattle-based master artist is the man behind the intricate glass chandeliers and sculptures at museums and hotels across the country. His fascination with organic, plantlike forms is a recurring and dominant theme.

"My mother had a fabulous garden when I was growing up," Chihuly said during a news conference. "And I probably picked up a little bit from her. I didn't garden, but I liked to look at it."

"His works are dazzling, incredible, audacious and beautiful," said the center's executive director, Evelyn Craft. "He has taken glass from fine craft to fine art. With his installations, he changes the way people see themselves and see the world."

When asked how he got started, he revealed that he had actually gotten interested in glass by way of his first love, tapestry, when he began weaving glass beads into the warp and weft.

He likes working with children and is teaching his 10-year-old son, Jackson, to blow glass.

As for the colorful Adidas on his feet, Chihuly explained, "I do a lot on the floor with squirt bottles. The paint gets all over them, and I just decided to keep them on."

Tampa Mayor Rick Baker made Chihuly an official St. Petersburg citizen. "I think he's going to not only bring notoriety to St. Pete, but he's also a great person to know."

After the speeches, a bulldozer crashed into a large window of a building whose demise is making space for the new structure.

"There goes our old classroom," said Renee Foucault, to fellow arts students Jane Rivers and Audrey Troutman, who were watching. Decoratively painted shovels then turned the dirt over.

The ceremony was ended, but the wait to see what treasures Chihuly might bring to the completed building had just begun.