Chihuly Nights - 22-26 October 2005

Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew
Supported by GlaxoSmithKline
28 May 2005 - 15 January 2006

As the evenings draw in this autumn, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew will open its doors after dark, giving visitors a unique opportunity to see the stunning Chihuly installations illuminated at night. These sculptures have been installed in the Gardens as part of the exhibition Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew, which is open until 15 January 2006.

Gardens of Glass is a spectacular sequence of uniquely-shaped and vibrantly-coloured glass sculptures by US artist Dale Chihuly, set in Kew's historic garden landscape and inside the iconic glasshouses. This is the first exhibition of its kind to be held in Europe.

See The Sun shine in the Princess of Wales Conservatory and the Palm House Towers lit up like flames behind the Thames Skiff on the Palm House Pond.

A lit walking route, marked by fire-eaters and jugglers, will guide visitors to the main attractions. The Orangery will be open for dining, the White Peaks shop and exhibition will also be open and there will be glass blowing demonstrations to complete the experience.

Late night openings will be from Saturday 22 - Wednesday 26 October 2005 inclusive, from 6pm - 9pm. The glasshouses, catering outlets, White Peaks shop and exhibition will close at 8.30pm . Entry cost will be £10 adults, £7 concessions and FREE for children 16 and under.

Further information

For further information and images please contact Lauren Bird, Oliver Basciano or Anna Quenby in the Kew Gardens Press Office, Telephone 020 8332 5607, email pr@kew.org.

Notes to Editors

Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941. He trained with Harvey Littleton, the father of American studio glass, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the illustrious Venini factory in Venice, established the glass course a the famous Rhode Island School of Design and became the founding artist of Pilchuck Glass School, the pre-eminent school of glass. He leads the avant garde in the development of glass blowing as a studio art. Dale Chihuly has travelled widely and exhibited internationally. His work is held in over 200 museums throughout the world. For further information about the artist please visit www.chihuly.com.

Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew
Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace . RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org.

GlaxoSmithKline
Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew is supported by GlaxoSmithKline as part of the company's community support programme. GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. With global headquarters close to Kew in Brentford, the company has a continuing programme of charitable activities in the UK, funding a variety of projects in the following areas: healthcare, scientific education, medical research, the arts and the environment. The company is a longstanding supporter of Kew, having sponsored a number of projects at the Gardens, the most recent of which was the Go Wild festival in 2003. For further information on GSK's community programmes please visit www.gsk.com/community.