GLEAM 2021 (Olbrich Gardens), Madison, WI

This event is an annual, outdoor, visual arts installation at the well-known gardens in Madison. Artists from all over the world submit their ideas and then a handful or so are chosen for each late summer/fall season. It runs nightly (after dark) on W, Th, F and Sa through the end of October. Tickets are relatively inexpensive ($15 for an adult with no other Olbrich Gardens membership already). Seeing the artwork is easily worth that price.

You can start the event off with a stop to a small but well-stocked bar, garb a drink, and then take a leisurely 30-60 minute stroll through the exhibits. Tickets are good for 1.5 hours of access, they have multiple "waves" of people throughout the night. I'm much quicker than most people and only spent about 40 minutes there. I also skipped one exhibit, #5 below. I could see it from afar, but didn't want to wait in line to "experience" it as it was in their real-live pagoda and an extra 10-15 minute wait (with kids screaming and some sort of noise being played on a "BIG" floor-sized keyboard on the floor of the installation - nah).

They have most of the walking path roped off or highlighted in some manner, so it's a pretty simple way to get around all the bright lights amidst the darkened sidewalks. You can also scan a QR-code for a very simple map and info on each exhibit, which I will use below.

This is their greenhouse that is always lit up, all year. From the outside it looks like a bit of a spaceship and you can't really miss it, even just driving by...

This is the first visual item after the bar... kind of hard to miss most of them... but not actually part of the show formally, perhaps an amuse bouche for your eyeballs... (I really liked it)

On the way to the pagoda, you have to walk over a small inlet and get to see some cool views on this bridge...

I feel the the Gardens makes a point of always putting something extra in the path, and this seemed like a perfect thing for kids to do on the way b/w the exhibits. They had black lights showering the sidewalk and markers ready for people to doodle with... very much sidewalk chalk drawing at night. Kind of simple really, but visually striking and fun...

This was the last one of the night and the end of the journey. Once here, it was a very short walk back through their main building and back out in to the dark. I've now done this twice, and if you can't tell for yourself, this is 100% worth it.

GLEAM: Art in a New Light @ Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI

I don't know what to say for this one, except - "GO!"

It costs a modest amount of money for entry, but that money goes to the gardens, which are normally free (outdoors) all year round. The amount of interesting things done with lights, some not even showing up on "film" well and some not captured below, is pretty incredible to see in person. I would absolutely recommend this event, they have evening hours through much of the fall.

Right from the get-go, it draws you in. I'll bring you through as I walked it, though they hand you a well-done map for the whole event as you enter, suggest a route, and have guides posted all over.

This is also above a pond, so if viewed at the correct angle, you see the reflection of the lights as well.

Not sure I snagged the description of this one... I liked it...

This one was easily the hardest to capture in film or video as most of the light is red (I presume), but it was pretty special and interesting to see with the naked eye...

More lights as you walk through, though I may have missed the descriptions...

These are the Orbs...

This was on the way to the next installation, pretty neat...

And finally was, as I went through it at least, a large walkway filled with disco balls in the trees, with a large light source behind the "viewer". As you walked through (don't look behind you!) the lights changed colors and reflected all along the path. It was very interesting. Kind of like snowing light...

Don't look into this light...

That was pretty much it for my trip, I found the Gleam exhibit well-done, plenty to see and walk to, and well-worth my money. I did miss one or two installations in the arboretum, but I was done for the night. I can also go back if I'd like to.

Again, if you're in the area, make a plan to see this this fall. Here's the Olbrich link:

http://www.olbrich.org/gleam.cfm