The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art, on the campus of Central Methodist University, will hold a dedication event for a new art installation during Homecoming Weekend, celebrating the gift of a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture on Saturday, October 31.
The dedication, held at 11 a.m. in Classic Hall, will be in honor of the work donated to the gallery by Dr. Marianne E. Inman, president emerita, and her husband, David Inman. Dr. Inman served as the president of Central from 1995 to 2013 and was a driving force behind the renovation of Classic Hall, which now houses the Ashby-Hodge Gallery.
The piece, titled “Rotolo 75,” is a glass sculpture that will reside in the Gallery as part of the permanent collection. One of the most influential glass artists of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Chihuly is widely recognized for transforming blown glass into a major contemporary art form. After studying interior design at the University of Washington, he continued his training in glass at the University of Wisconsin and the Rhode Island School of Design, where he later founded the school’s glass program and taught for more than a decade.
A Fulbright Fellowship brought Chihuly to Venice, where he worked at the renowned Venini glass factory and absorbed the collaborative, team-based approach that became central to his practice. In 1971, he co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State, helping establish the Pacific Northwest as an international center for studio glass.
Chihuly is celebrated for his bold use of color, scale, and organic form. His art pushes glass beyond traditional symmetry, evoking flowers, shells, water, and molten movement. His work ranges from intimate vessels to monumental architectural installations and has been exhibited in major museums, gardens, and public spaces around the world.
Through his inventive forms and ambitious installations, Chihuly has expanded the possibilities of glass, creating works that combine technical mastery with spectacle, movement, and wonder.
In addition to the dedication, the Gallery – featuring the current Autumn Rhapsody show – will be open to visitors from 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more on this and other events over Homecoming Weekend, visit www.centralalumnievents.com.