Chihuly Sanctuary to be built inside Buffett Cancer Center

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October 20th, 2015

UNMC's Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center announces partnership with world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. (Photo by Ryan Robertson, KVNO News)

UNMC’s Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center announces partnership with world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. (Photo by Ryan Robertson, KVNO News)

Omaha will be home to a new art installation designed by Dale Chihuly, a pioneer of the studio glass movement


 

A rendition of the Chihuly Sanctuary. (Image courtesy of UNMC)

A digital rendition of the Chihuly Sanctuary. (Image courtesy of UNMC)

Jeff Gold, the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, welcomed a crowd of around 50 to the Joslyn Museum of Art Monday morning, where he quickly handed the microphone off to the man of the hour—world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly.

“I’m so pleased and honored to be working on this exciting project,” Chihuly said.

That exciting project is the Chihuly Sanctuary. The art installation will be inside the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, and feature five distinct spaces.

 

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Another digital rendition of the Chihuly Sanctuary. (Image courtesy of UNMC)

In a video played during Monday’s unveiling ceremony, Chihuly talked about his latest endeavor.

“I hope the sanctuary becomes a gathering spot and a respite for those patients who are not able to go outside and enjoy the garden,” Chihuly explained in the video.

He went on, “One of the main installations I’m including is a fiori garden, from my Mille Fiori series, which means 1000 Flowers in Italian. The design of the building features a wavelike exterior, which is a nod to my Macchia series. There’s also an accent of color on the exterior of the building, chartreuse, which is one of my favorite colors.”

The Chihuly Sanctuary will be a cornerstone of the Buffett Cancer Center’s Healing Arts program, which aims to heal the human spirit by creating an atmosphere of hope and resilience. The project is being underwritten by Walter Scott, Jr. through the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation.

“Needless to say I’m a fan, as was my wife,” Scott, Jr. said, “If Sue were here today, I believe she’d say how excited she was to see the unique structure and unique beauty of what [Chihuly] created, and it should go a long ways towards helping with the emotional and spiritual part of the healing process.”

The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2017. The Chihuly Sanctuary will open shortly thereafter.

 

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