Sunday in the Park with Dale 3: The Exhibit

Though I'm not a big fan of Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures, the exhibit itself is delightful.



In fact, I haven't seen colors quite this psychedelically saturated since the "Alice in Wonderland" ride at Disneyland, with its day-glo rooms and singing flowers.



From all accounts, Dale Chihuly is an extraordinarily generous soul.



I have a friend, for instance, who worked as a janitor at the Santa Barbara Art Museum some years ago, and he became friends with Chihuly, who decided to give my friend a huge painting as a gift, which he still owns.



Another generous gesture is the fact that you can take photos at this exhibit.



Video and flash aren't allowed, but this is the first time I've seen a traveling exhibition at the de Young allow personal photography rather than forcing the crowds to buy reproductions at the gift shop.



When I asked a docent why this was happening, she didn't have a clue, but another young man at an admissions desk guessed that it was Chihuly's doing. "He really is a nice guy."