A Chihuly glass piece lit at night on Franklin Park Conservatory’s rooftop. Credit: Courtesy of Bonnie DeRubertis

The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is bringing light and color through the darkness of night — and of 2020 — with its “Chihuly Nights” exhibition. 

 “Chihuly Nights” showcases 19 art installations by glass blowing artist Dale Chihuly — all of which are lit up in the outdoor botanical gardens. The series, which started in July, was originally scheduled to occur on the second Saturday of each month through Oct. 10, but has since added two additional Friday dates for Oct. 9 and Nov. 6, according to the Franklin Park Conservatory Facebook page. 

The Oct. 9 event kicks off at 7 p.m. and a food truck will be on site, with wine, beer and food available for purchase, according to the conservatory’s website

Although the pieces exhibited during the event are available for daytime viewing, “Chihuly Nights” offers visitors a unique experience with glowing, radiant colors, enlivened by professional lighting, Bonnie DeRubertis, associate director of exhibitions at the conservatory, said.

“There’s just something incredibly spectacular about seeing the collection at night,” DeRubertis said. “His work is beautiful during the day, but when you see it at night it’s just so breathtaking.”

Jennifer Wilson, director of marketing and communications at the conservatory, shared similar sentiments about the beauty of Chihuly’s work against the night sky. 

“The way it’s lit at night, it really brings out the vibrance of the glass, and it looks completely different than it does in the day,” Wilson said.

Dale Chihuly has had a strong relationship with the Franklin Park Conservatory over the past couple of decades, dating back to his original installment at the conservatory in 2003, DeRubertis said. The exhibition was wildly successful, leading to more of Chihuly’s works being added. Since 2009, only a few of his pieces were on display to the public, but in 2019, his full collection became available for viewing, including his exhibition “Chihuly: Celebrating Nature.” The full collection has stayed since then and will be displayed during the event.

DeRubertis said the staff has taken visitors’ safety very seriously over the past few months and has implemented many precautionary measures due to the pandemic. She said the garden has stickers encouraging social distancing, hand sanitizer stations and a one-way route through the conservatory to ensure that guests limit contact with one another. Additionally, guests are required to sign up for an arrival time when purchasing a ticket to eliminate the flow of traffic for the event to facilitate social distancing, according to the Franklin Park Conservatory website. 

The next “Chihuly Nights” will take place Oct. 9 from 7-10 p.m. at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, located at 1777 E. Broad St. Ticket costs vary and must be reserved online in advance due to government mandates.