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| The Valones admire the sculpture with artist Luke Jerram (right) |
Dr. James and
Christiane Valone of Norfolk found a special way to honor their parents and give
a gift their whole community can enjoy. When the Chrysler Museum of Art reopens on May 10 a spectacular part of it will be the 17-foot kinetic
chandelier dangling down the museum's spiral staircase. Click here to watch a 59-second video created by the artist.
It is
typical to honor people with "things cast in bronze or engraved in granite," Jim
Valone says. But he and Christiane went a modern route with a piece of
functional art made from glass, wire and microchips. A grant from the Valones'
donor-advised fund at the Hampton Roads
Community Foundation paid for the chandelier whose clear orbs have
insides that spin when exposed to light. If you pause at the stairwell and are
quiet, your ears will be treated to a gentle fluttering sound emitted by the
moving parts. Renowned British artist Luke Jerram created
what he calls The Chrysler Chandelier from 330 glass radiometers. Tiny microchips hang next to each globe and produce enough infrared energy to make the spindles and vanes inside the glass orbs rotate.
"This is the
first chandelier I've made that is powered by Infra red LEDS rather than
sunlight," Jerram says. "What's interesting is that you can see
the (invisible to the naked eye infrared light) only when you view the
chandelier through your mobile phone."
William Hennessey, Chrysler Museum executive director, remembers being fascinated when the sun made a radiometer on his window sill whir when he was a boy. "Radiometers have a great gee whiz factor," he says.
"The chandelier was commissioned for this very spot," Hennessey says. "We had a leading artist create something that will delight people from ages 5 to 85."
After nearly a year of work the 66-pound chandelier, which requires no electricity, was installed the other week. It bridges the museum's new upstairs modern art gallery with the ground floor where kids and families gather. Both the Chrysler's children's gallery and the
William Hennessey, Chrysler Museum executive director, remembers being fascinated when the sun made a radiometer on his window sill whir when he was a boy. "Radiometers have a great gee whiz factor," he says.
"The chandelier was commissioned for this very spot," Hennessey says. "We had a leading artist create something that will delight people from ages 5 to 85."
After nearly a year of work the 66-pound chandelier, which requires no electricity, was installed the other week. It bridges the museum's new upstairs modern art gallery with the ground floor where kids and families gather. Both the Chrysler's children's gallery and the
hands-on
Hampton Roads Community Foundation Education Center are at the
bottom of the winding staircase.
Christiane Valone is a long-time docent at the Chrysler Museum, which has been closed for more than a year for major renovations. She and her husband both love art and the Chrysler. The grant they recommended through their Hampton Roads Community Foundation fund honors all four of their parents who taught them to appreciate art and philanthropy: Denise Gabrielle Jacot des Combes and Leslie Ellis, who live in Great Britain, and Ethel Morrison Fielder of Raleigh and the late James Valone.
The Valones believe it is important for all young people to come face to face with art and develop a fascination with it. They look forward to the spinning chandelier encouraging families and young people to come and enjoy the Chrysler. Learn more from the Chrysler Museum of Art about the chandelier.
Read the April 10 Virginian-Pilot story by Teresa Annas about the chandelier.
Watch a 59-second video created by artist Luke Jerram and see his creation in action.
Christiane Valone is a long-time docent at the Chrysler Museum, which has been closed for more than a year for major renovations. She and her husband both love art and the Chrysler. The grant they recommended through their Hampton Roads Community Foundation fund honors all four of their parents who taught them to appreciate art and philanthropy: Denise Gabrielle Jacot des Combes and Leslie Ellis, who live in Great Britain, and Ethel Morrison Fielder of Raleigh and the late James Valone.
The Valones believe it is important for all young people to come face to face with art and develop a fascination with it. They look forward to the spinning chandelier encouraging families and young people to come and enjoy the Chrysler. Learn more from the Chrysler Museum of Art about the chandelier.
Read the April 10 Virginian-Pilot story by Teresa Annas about the chandelier.
Watch a 59-second video created by artist Luke Jerram and see his creation in action.
(The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a regional community foundation started in 1950 as the first community foundation in Virginia. It is among nearly 750 community foundation around the country serving specific geographic regions. It is the largest grant and scholarship provider in southeastern Virginia and manages more than 400 charitable funds created by donors from all walks of life. Over the decades it has provided more than $195 million to improve life for residents living in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, including the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. It also serves people in Isle of Wight and Southampton counties and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including Accomack and Northampton counties. Learn more at hamptonroadscf.org. You can click here to locate a community foundation near you. )
Photo by Gary Marshall courtesy of the Chrysler Museum of Art
