“DAZZLE: A Garden of Glass” at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

Zoo Hosts Award-winning Glass Artist Peter Greenwood in a 500-Piece Show in the Historic Victorian Greenhouse

​BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – March 1, 2021 – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo will present “DAZZLE: A Garden of Glass” with a presentation of 500 pieces of the Riverton, Connecticut-based artist Peter Greenwood’s glass art. The award-winning Glass Master has shown his work in twenty-five museums, from The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, to Connecticut’s The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, and the New Britain Museum of American Art. ​

​Greenwood’s visually arresting and brilliantly colored art will be displayed throughout the Greenhouse, using lush foliage and beautiful blossoms to enhance the beauty of both artwork and plants. The theme, as described by Greenwood, is “regeneration.” The pieces, many repurposed from previous installations, are intended to evoke vines, leaves, roots and petals in vibrant shades: cobalt blue, ruby, green, and yellow.  A striking display of twenty glass pitchers will be tilted from a tree overhanging the pond. In other places, glass reeds will rise from the foliage. Colorful glass will appear throughout the Greenhouse and encourage guests to engage in a discovery of beauty.
 
“The Zoo is delighted to share Glass Master Peter Greenwood’s beautiful glass blown treasures amid the natural beauty of the rare plants and colorful blooms in the Greenhouse,” said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho “We invite you to come and be dazzled by his hand-crafted artwork!”
 
Greenwood, a Connecticut native, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as the Pilchuck School in Washington State, where he was exposed to the Venetian virtuosity of glassblowing. He opened his first studio in 1980. Today, he works out of a historic stone church in Riverton, Conn. His works include finely crafted wood furniture, hand forged iron, stainless steel fabrications and stonework. His career, spanning more than four decades, has resulted in numerous exhibitions of his art and nationwide critical acclaim.
 
DAZZLE will be open seven days a week from 9-4, from Saturday, March 6 through Friday, April 30. Entrance to DAZZLE is included in the price of admission. Members enter for free. All the pieces in the show will be available for purchase at the end of the exhibition.
 
Zoo admission is $16 for adults, and $13 for children 3-11 and seniors over 62. Children under three are free.
 
The Zoo is committed to maintaining a safe space for families, so Covid-19 rules remain in effect. Masks are to be worn by all guests, except for those ages two and under. Social distancing must be observed, with six-foot distancing between family groups. Tickets can be purchased online at beardsleyzoo.org.

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