Life: VAI's Glass Sculpture by Dale Chihuly

Van Andel Institute (VAI) founder Jay Van Andel commissioned “Life,” a 14-foot glass sculpture created by world-famous artist Dale Chihuly, in 2004 to memorialize his wife and VAI cofounder, Betty Van Andel. The piece was unveiled at the 2005 Celebration of Hope.

The 1,200-pound work spirals from the ceiling in VAI’s lobby in a unique design reminiscent of the DNA double helix. The sculpture was crafted over several months by a team of more than 70 people from the Chihuly studio in Seattle. Supported by the artist’s custom steel framework, it is comprised of 1,100 hand-blown glass globes and shapes in several shades of blue - turquoise, ice, cobalt, lapis – with amber, citron, yellow and red accents.

VAI engaged architecture, engineering, construction, and consulting firm Progressive AE to design the structural steel additions to the existing overhead beams to support the unit and provide a connection point for the four wire ropes that suspend the sculpture. The sculpture was assembled in Seattle for final approval, then disassembled and sent to VAI. Each of the glass pieces was separately packed for shipment to Grand Rapids. Chihuly’s own team of installation specialists spent three days at VAI conducting the meticulous assembly and installation.