Chihuly exhibition invites young artists to unleash their imagination
The Moore Critters competition is giving a platform for young people to channel their inner artist – and potentially have their design exhibited alongside those of Dale Chihuly.
Thinking boldly, dreaming big and being wildly imaginative are embedded in the ethos of renowned Adelaide-based glass artist Tom Moore.
Now, he wants young people to embrace their endless innate creativity through the Moore Critters competition.
As a part of the Chihuly in the Botanic Garden exhibition, where US-based and globally-renowned artist, Dale Chihuly, brings vibrant, idiosyncratic glass art to an Adelaide audience, budding young artists are encouraged to submit designs of their own fantastical creature into the competition.
However, unlike other drawings that may remain appreciated only by patrons of the “kitchen fridge gallery”, the Moore Critters competition allows young artists to see their designs transformed into bespoke glass creations, and be proudly displayed to the entire city in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.
Every month, Moore has selected a winning design that he brings to life at the JamFactory hot shop.
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Winners will see their glass critter on display at the Bicentennial Conservatory, before finding their forever home with their original creators. These one-of-a-kind sculptures would be just at home amongst the glass landscapes of Red Bamboo Reeds, Macchia Forests, and Mottled Trumpet Flowers at Chihuly, as they would be in the private collection of pretty things housed on the shelf at home.
Moore is no stranger to blending child-like fantasy with contemporary art.
His range of glass sculptures, which have appeared at the JamFactory, Art Gallery of South Australia and the Festival Centre, are often products of eccentric, child-like imagination, and masterful craftsmanship, resulting in otherworldly animal/plant hybridisations.
Each piece captures a sense of whimsy and wonder, where fragility intersects with playfulness, and a centuries-old art form merges with striking modernity.
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The first round of the competition attracted over 3500 entries from young people across the state. The inaugural winner was announced as nine-year-old, Josh, whose “Spiky Cactus Monster” is nothing short of special.
Manager, Interpretation and Cultural Collections, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Lindl Lawton, says that Josh’s winning design is “a testament to the wonderful creativity this competition inspires”.
South Australians have warmly embraced the Chihuly exhibition, welcoming more than 41,500 visitors since it opened to the public in September 2024.
This impressive turnout reflects the exhibition’s ability to enthral audiences and highlights its resounding success as a cultural centrepiece. The exhibition’s popularity also demonstrates the city’s thirst for contemporary art, with Adelaide being home to the exhibition’s Australian debut.
In an endeavour to keep artistic ventures for young people as accessible as possible, participation in the Moore Critters competition is free.
Moore Critters is located inside the Bicentennial Conservatory, which is also home to the In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly exhibition.
These exhibitions, alongside the free Chihuly daytime experience and paid night walk will be open to the public until the end of April.