Cup Craft Activity Inspired by Dale Chihuly

I was so impressed by this craft idea from our customers at Kenedy Health & Rehab, a 4 star all male senior facility in Texas. Their version of “Chihuly Art” is so creative, and it’s a simple and fun activity that seniors can enjoy. Incorporate a history lesson into the activity too by starting with a background on Dale Chihuly, the artist that inspired their craft. Then have a step by step tutorial on how to make the craft.

Background on Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington and was introduced to glass while attending the University of Washington.  He graduated in 1965 and went to the University of Wisconsin to be apart of the first glass program in the country. From there, Chihuly established a glass program at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and taught for over ten years. Venini glass factory in Venice, Italy was his next stop, which is where he learned a new technique of blowing glass that he still uses today. In 1971, Dale Chihuly co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State where he continued to establish his reputation as a visionary of glass work.

Chihuly has many well-known pieces of art and has been showcased in many museums such as the Palais du Louvre in Paris as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Other major exhibitions have been at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Here is the artwork that inspired this idea:

How to Make Chihuly Art

Since glass-blowing isn’t something that is usually incorporated into a residential facility and is challenging, our customers at Kenedy Health & Rehab adapted the craft to work for their residents.

Materials:

• Ribbon or yarn
• String
• Foam Cups (or try these Cotton Candy Cones as an alternative for longer spirals)
• Drawing supplies 
• String Lights

Instructions:

1. Have residents color paper cone cups in any way they’d like.
2. Start from the top of the cup, and cut it into a long spiral. Repeat for each cup.
3. Cut a piece of ribbon or yarn to use as the base of the craft.
4. Punch a hole in the tip of each cup and thread a piece of string through it. Then tie this string to the main base ribbon.
5. Tie each cup spiral to the base ribbon, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Each should be as close to the next one as possible. At first the spirals will be tight, but will relax more and more and take on a longer profile.
6. Add lights at the end to illuminate and brighten the room!

About Kenedy Health & Rehab

Kenedy Health & Rehab is an outstanding provider of skilled care services in the state of Texas. They specialize in the unique aspects of men’s health, rehabilitation, and emotional care. Their resident-respect approach to caring is what continues to be their striving force and what makes them stick out from all the rest. Their staff is dedicated to providing the very best medically-directed, compassionate care for their residents and families.

What really stands out about this facility is their exceptional activities team, which is run by Crystal Auzston. This team provides an assortment of daily activities for their residents because they believe an active life goes a long way toward improving a person’s emotional well being. Birthday parties and holiday programs are not the only activities run at this facility; they also take their art projects to the next level! Their Chihuly Art project is just one of the many examples.

Submitted by: Mikayla Heckathorn, Sales Representative

For more information about Dale Chihuly and his works of art, visit www.artsy.net/artist/dale-chihuly