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I've always been fascinated by blown glass. Clumsy as I can be, it's a mystery to me how a person can take something as fragile as glass and–without breaking it—heat it, turn it, and shape it into a vibrant piece of art.

Almost no one is better at accomplishing that feat than Dale Chihuly [3]. The Seattle-based glassblower—perhaps most widely known for Chihuly Over Venice [4] and for designing the ceiling of the Bellagio [5] in Las Vegas—was the first American glass artist to be invited to study with Italian masters. Some of those works are on display at Foothills Art Center [6] in Golden along with a number of other rarely seen pieces from a private collection.

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Along with an array of vases called Piccolos (meaning "little") and Puttis (works that feature cherub-like figures, pictured top left) is the grand dame of the exhibit: the Laguna Murano Chandelier (detailed shot, pictured right). Considered one work of art, it's actually made up of five individual structures that are crafted using 1,500 individual pieces. A team of Chihuly-approved installers took a week to put the puzzle-like set together.

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The most interesting part: Each time it's exhibited, the chandelier looks different. The installers mount it in a way that best fits the space, swapping pieces and changing the configuration. (Check out a time-lapse video [9] of the process.) "It's a huge, crazy, breakable puzzle," says Reilly Sanborn, executive director of Foothills.

The takeaway: Don't bring your biggest purse to this exhibition. But do see it before it closes on June 30.

—Top left image courtesy of Jay Clawson