The My Blue Dots – Chihuly Project
 Combining the arts and sciences to support the work of curing cancer through stem cell research at Stanford University
The Project
Art and science have always evolved together. The revolutions of the Renaissance were equally scientific and artistic, as developments in both fields changed humankind’s view of the world and our place in it. The My Blue Dots – Chihuly Project aims to continue that symbiosis by funding a major sculpture by world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly in Stanford’s new Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building to promote revolutionary advances in cancer treatment and raise awareness on the influence of art to science, and science to art.
Rendering of the Chihuly artwork suspended from the atrium of the Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building at Stanford University.
The Artwork and the Building
Dale Chihuly has designed a magnificent piece of glass artwork to grace the atrium of Stanford University’s new stem cell research building, now under construction. The four-story building will be the largest stem cell facility in the country and the home to some of the world’s top cancer and stem cell scientists when it opens in late 2010, featuring 33 laboratories, 60 research collaboration benches, and more than 300 scientists.
Dale Chihuly by Jan Cook
The Chihuly artwork will be equally impressive – a three-tier chandelier more than thirty-two feet high and twelve feet wide suspended from the ceiling of the three-story atrium. As the main entrance and centerpiece of the building, this area will be a high-visibility space where researchers, students, and visitors from around the world will visit. The design of the atrium makes it an ideal location for this magnificence sculpture – the glass walls, windows, and balconies overlooking the atrium will provide views of the sculpture from both the inside and outside of the building.
The Promise of Stem Cells
 Stem cells are the next frontier in science and medicine. They promise to become tools to study human disease and help the body repair and regenerate diseased or aging tissues. Stanford University is leading the way in understanding and exploiting these master cells to improve health. Researchers at Stanford helped pioneer many of today’s cancer treatments, and today the university is a world leader of an entirely new approach to cancer therapy – targeting cancer stem cells. Functionally different from other stem cells, cancer stem cells are rare, selfrenewing cells within cancers that enable the tumor to grow, regenerate, and spread. Led by renowned scientist Irv Weissman, MD, Stanford has discovered cancer and leukemia stem cells and is prying from them the secrets of their cancer-causing behavior to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
 “For many patients, the window of opportunity to be treated with breakthrough therapies derived from stem cell advances will be closed unless we are able to accelerate the research. In the Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building, we foresee a place where the greatest scientific and artistic visions come together, a place in which we will contribute to the future of medicine and culture.”
Irv Weissman, MD
Director, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute at Stanford University
The Goal
My Blue Dots is raising funds to support the purchase of the Chihuly artwork as well as the cost of conducting stem cell research at Stanford aimed at treating and curing cancer. Our goal is to raise $2 million dollars to benefit these projects. Gifts have already been received totaling more than half of this goal but now we would like to offer you an opportunity to partner with us in this exciting project.
How You Can Participate
Gifts can be made directly to My Blue Dots for the My Blue Dots - Chihuly Project to benefit Stanford. Leadership donors of $50,000 or more will be recognized on a plaque in the Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building at Stanford. These donors will have the opportunity to visit the Chihuly Studios in Seattle and view glass blowing. At Stanford, donors will be invited to the Chihuly Opening Celebration and hear Irv Weissman, MD talk about what is new in stem cell research. It is also our intention to keep our supporters updated on the latest developments in stem cell research. Options are available for making payments over several years or as a one time gift for all gift levels. Any and all gifts will be acknowledged, accepted, and appreciated. My Blue Dots and Founder Sue McCollum have long supported art as inspiration, healing, and hope for cancer patients and their families. (www.mybluedots.org) The Chihuly–My Blue Dots Project is now applying this concept to inspire groundbreaking research on stem cells and cancer research at Stanford University.
 “Joining these two creative fields isn’t just about displaying a beautiful piece of art – it’s about a vision and a dream of the future. As we journey along this path we must realize that we are not just counting beans….but we’re brewing and smelling the coffee of the future - the wonderful gift of life stem cell research will give.”
 Sue McCollum
Founder and CEO of My Blue Dots
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