Everglades officials dote on the port's Chihuly

'When you are ranked among the world's best, of the highest caliber, a world-class facility, you attract first-rank cruise lines, their upscale customers and internationally acclaimed artists,' port chief executive and director Steven Cernak said. 'Chihuly is renowned for his ambitious architectural installations around the world in historic cities, museums and gardens.

'And now Port Everglades is the only seaport in the world to have a Chihuly.'

Art such as Chihuly's 'Coral Glow Persian Sconce Wall' installed in the recently renovated Cruise Terminal 4, is part of the overall cruise vacation experience, Cernak said.

Port Everglades works in conjunction with Broward County's Cultural Division to select Florida-inspired artwork such as Michele Oka Doner's blue-green terrazzo floor seascape embedded with hand-carved bronze sea pods in Cruise Terminal 18, and Mark Fuller's colorful prism-like fish mobiles in Cruise Terminal 19.

'A working cruise terminal presents challenges to most artists, especially for large-scale installations. With his background in architecture, Dale Chihuly immediately understood our constraints of space and lighting,' Port Everglades assistant director Peg Buchan said.

Chihuly designed five sculptural works and strategically clustered them in a 14-foot by 12-foot area. Buchan called the impact a 'wow.'

Passengers see Chihuly's dramatic flower-like forms that bloom larger and brighter on the lobby wall as they descend from the second-floor debark area to the first-floor baggage hall. The spiral and herringbone surfaces are lively and energetic. Exterior lighting casts colorful shadows on the wall behind the artwork.

Cruise executives will have the opportunity to tour Port Everglades and see Chihuly's 'Coral Glow Persian Sconce Wall' during Seatrade Cruise Global in March at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.