Kalamazoo — Under theatrical lighting, intensely colorful glass shined as a young couple circled the sculptural installation of a "Macchia Forest." The bowl-shaped pieces stood on pedestals at the viewers' eye level.

Nearby, a girl with a digital camera leaned in to take a detailed picture of a flowerlike glass creation called "Ikebana," inspired by the Japanese tradition of flower arranging.

These imaginative and abstract glass forms are the brainchild of sculpture artist Dale Chihuly. An assortment of his installations, "Chihuly in Kalamazoo," is currently running at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, or KIA, 314 S. Park St., and will continue during MSU's winter break, which begins Dec. 19.

Chihuly is a contemporary artist and glass innovator, internationally known for his unorthodox exhibits. Each is a one-of-a-kind display of the lighting, placement and combination of glass pieces.

"It's not hype to say this is the first time and last time that anyone will see these pieces exactly the way they are now," KIA spokesman Paul Stermer said.

In each of the three galleries of the KIA, hushed murmurs were broken up with enthusiastic "wows" and camera clicks. The exhibit was continuously filled with many visitors who could not believe their eyes.

Stermer said the exhibit, three years in the making, is the biggest show the museum has ever done.

"This exhibit has broken a lot of long-standing rules," he said.

Stermer said Chihuly is one of the most well-known living artists today — which was one of the reasons high school senior Stephanie Gaumond decided to visit the exhibit.

"I've never really seen anything (of Chihuly's) up

close and personal," she said. "It seems more than three-dimensional."

Gaumond is referring to the explosions of color on the large installations — in which some pieces are taller than visitors. She said she could see how both nature and modern art influenced Chihuly.

"It's out of the ordinary," Gaumond said, glancing at stalks of bright green glass. "I think it's really cool he can do that with glass."

Around her there was a steady stream of people snapping pictures on all types of cameras, from amateur to professional-quality with zoom lenses. One of the unusual things about Chihuly exhibits is there are no restrictions about photography — most art exhibits in museums do not allow cameras.

Lying on the floor, Vern Blackwood, whose hobby is photography, pointed his camera toward the ceiling of a small room decorated with Chihuly glass.

"It's the best perspective," he said. "You need a wide angle to get the whole thing."

Blackwood traveled from Chicago just for the exhibit.

"It's just very beautiful. I wanted to capture some of the uniqueness of this glass art," he said.

This exhibit is only one of the many "blockbuster" exhibits on display during winter break. At The Detroit Institute of Arts, or DIA, 5200 Woodward Ave., an exhibit featuring Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin showcases sculptures by the two artists. Their relationship transcended from professional to romantic.

This exhibit is "the first that their works, Claudel and Rodin, have been compared side by side," DIA spokesman Peter VanDyke said.

He said the personal relationship between the artists was beautiful and is represented in the way the sculptures are shown at the DIA.

"People actually leave the exhibit with quite an emotional feeling," VanDyke said.

He said students who are returning to their homes in metro Detroit and those visiting from out of town during break will enjoy the DIA's Friday night events for young adults and the exhibit, "Camille Claudel and Rodin: Fateful Encounter."

"Even if they aren't real big on art and galleries, it's something they can latch on to," VanDyke said. "It's a nice start or end to an evening."

Another museum in Michigan, Flint Institute of Arts, 1120 E. Kearsley St., is hosting an exhibit on the pop art of Andy Warhol. Curator Lisa Ashby said the exhibit is part of a new wave of exhibits celebrating Warhol's iconic images.

"He's being recognized again now for his work as a forerunner," she said. "It's more relevant than ever. There is a blurring between pop culture and fine art."

Ashby said college students will especially enjoy this work because their generation grew up surrounded by mass media and pop art.

"If anybody can appreciate his work, it's young people," she said.

The addition of Internet in the museum's cafe is another thing that attracts college students to the Flint museum, said membership coordinator Valarie Shook.

"We are trying to cater more to the college students," she said.

And at the KIA, Stermer hopes college students will take advantage of their winter break to visit the Chihuly exhibit.

"It's a good place, if you're so inclined, to bring a date or come with a group of friends to hang out," he said.

Stermer said it's better to go to a museum during break than the mall or movies to do something generic.

"It's just a very unique, distinctive experience," he said.

Jacqueline WayneGuite can be reached at waynegui@msu.edu.