UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The new building for the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State, which is currently under construction, will feature a site-specific art installation by internationally acclaimed artist Dale Chihuly. Commissioned in honor of Penn State President Emeritus Eric Barron and former first lady Molly Barron, and funded through the generosity of donors, “Lupine Blue Persian Wall” will anchor the feature staircase in the museum’s new 71,254-square-foot facility, slated to open to the public in spring 2024.

The large-scale installation spans more than 13 feet tall and 35 feet wide and comprises 22 glass forms in Penn State’s classic blue and white, accented with golden yellows and vibrant reds. This stunning work will be a notable addition to the Palmer Museum’s growing permanent collection. 

“For decades, Dale Chihuly has defied the boundaries of traditional glass sculpture, creating astonishing works that dazzle the eye of the beholder while evoking a sense of joy and wonder,” said Palmer Museum of Art Director Erin M. Coe. “For the new Palmer building in the Arboretum, he has created a tour de force installation for the feature staircase that fulfills our goal for a significant and stunning work celebrating the intersection of art, architecture and nature. We hope this installation will inspire the imagination of all who see it.” 

The new museum building’s location adjacent to the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens in The Arboretum at Penn State served as inspiration for Chihuly. “Lupine Blue Persian Wall” features the artist’s wild, swirling Persian forms, with their undulating walls and colorful rims evoking flower petals in full bloom. The sweeping composition will seemingly float and flutter around the walls of the monumental staircase.   

For more than 50 years, Chihuly’s practice has been an exploration of color, light, transparency and form. He began experimenting with the Persian form in 1986 and has since presented the series in some of his most dramatic architectural installations.  

“Having previously presented exhibitions at the Palmer, I am thrilled to create a new installation for the new museum building,” said Chihuly. “I hope that the students and visitors who pass through the space will find beauty in the work.”

“Lupine Blue Persian Wall” was commissioned in honor of Eric J. Barron, the 18th president of Penn State, who retired in 2022, and his wife, Molly. He was instrumental in the vision to make the new Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State a reality. The new museum building, designed by Allied Works Architecture, seamlessly integrates art, architecture and nature, and it sits within a landscape similar to those that inspired many of the American works in the Palmer’s renowned collection. The new facility will nearly double the space for the display, study and stewardship of art; improve accessibility; bring in inviting, natural light; and include the Palmer’s first educational and event spaces, a museum store and café, sculpture path, and outdoor terraces. The innovative and versatile design features a series of interlocking pavilions clad in regional stone that evokes the geology of central Pennsylvania. In keeping with Penn State’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the new museum building will be a high-performance building with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.  

Funding for the commission was made possible through the generosity of Peter and Ann Tombros, Ed and Helen Hintz, Art and Paige Nagle, Rick and Susan Sokolov, Richard and Pamela Bard, Jim and Suzy Broadhurst, Roger and Grace Moyer, Lee and Bill Beard, Rich Bundy, Bryon and Cynthia Deysher, Rob and Marcy Fenza, Naren and Judy Gursahaney, Jim and Barbara Ingram, Greg and Marilena Lucier, Martha Jordan and David Lee, Bob and Sandy Poole, and Ric and Sharon Struthers.  

About the Palmer Museum of Art 

The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is the largest art museum collection between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and the most significant academic art museum in the state of Pennsylvania. A key element of Penn State’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and public service, the museum is a vital and accessible cultural resource for Penn State’s students, faculty and scholars, as well as for all visitors to and from the entire central Pennsylvania region. Through its world-class objects, programs and outreach, the museum is a welcoming, inclusive and vibrant forum for authentic arts experiences and cultivates meaningful dialogue about today’s most potent ideas and pressing concerns.  

An expansive 21st-century teaching museum, the Palmer Museum of Art is a beacon for advancing the arts and humanities on Penn State’s University Park campus and throughout its diverse communities. The museum is dedicated to catalyzing groundbreaking research, scholarship and publications and providing impactful, object-based learning for Penn State and K-12 students. The museum’s rewarding and thought-provoking exhibitions and programs promote visitor participation, belonging and discovery.  

The Palmer building on Curtin Road will close to the public on May 15 in preparation for the transition to the new museum building at the Arboretum, opening in spring 2024. The innovative new museum will allow the Palmer to foster academic collaborations and strengthen student engagement through hands-on learning in a purpose-designed classroom space and in spaces like the Teaching Gallery, designed for innovative cross-disciplinary programs. 

About Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly is an American artist who transforms spaces with experiments in color, light, transparency and form. He is known for his exhibitions and large-scale architectural installations around the world and for revolutionizing the studio glass movement. Chihuly works with a variety of media, including glass, paint, charcoal, neon, ice and Polyvitro, and his work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Corning Museum of Glass. Major exhibitions include “Chihuly Over Venice” (1995-96) and “Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem” (1999). He also exhibited at de Young Museum in San Francisco (2008); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011); Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia (2012); Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada (2013); Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada (2016); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas (2017); Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands (2018); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, U.K. (2019); and Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (2021). “Chihuly Garden and Glass,” a long-term exhibition located at the Seattle Center, opened in 2012.

Chihuly’s work also is well represented at the Palmer with 15 works, including the popular “Peacock Blue and Yellow Seaform Set,” a wall piece commissioned by James and Barbara Palmer; numerous blown-glass vessels; and several vibrant lithograph prints. Chihuly's work has been the subject of two major solo exhibitions at the Palmer: “Dale Chihuly: A Decade of Glass” (July 7 to Aug. 18, 1985) and “Dale Chihuly: Seaforms” (June 22 to Sept. 12, 1999).

For more information on the work and life of Dale Chihuly, visit chihuly.com.

About philanthropy at Penn State

With the record-breaking success of “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” which raised $2.2 billion from 2016 to 2022, philanthropy is helping to sustain the University’s tradition of education, research and service to communities across the commonwealth and around the globe. Scholarships enable our institution to open doors and welcome students from every background. Support for transformative experiences allows our students and faculty to fulfill their vast potential for leadership, and gifts toward discovery and excellence help us to serve and impact the world we share. To learn more about the impact of giving and the continuing need for support, visit raise.psu.edu.