The Imagine Museum is located at 1901 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg.
“The Imagine Museum is a gift I wanted to bring to the Tampa Bay
community. My goal is when you see and experience the collection, you
will feel as uplifted as I do, positive for the future and reaffirmed about
the importance of art and creativity in our lives.” –– Trish Duggan
JULY/AUGUST 2019 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 157
In the early 1960s, a few ceramic artists banded together
with the common goal to make sculpture out of glass.
They invented a furnace that could fit in an artist’s studio,
shared techniques and experimented with many types
of glass. That was the birth of the American Studio Glass
Movement.
Fast forward to March 2019, when the International
Glass Art Society hosted its annual conference in
St. Petersburg. This signaled a nod to what is happening
in the world of glass here in St. Petersburg on the Gulf
Coast of Florida. Leading glass artists in the area include
artist Duncan McClellan, who pioneered the first gallery
dedicated to contemporary glass on the Gulf Coast and
developed a successful school, which hosts glass artists
in residence throughout the year, and artist Chuck Boux,
who owns Sigma Glass Studio and assists other artists
who want to work in the medium.
This is only a small example of how Tampa Bay is
fast becoming home to this progressive movement.
Other local artists are Susan Gott, a Tampa resident
with her own studio and hot shop; Sam Brewster, whose
engraved, etched or sandblasted windows grace many
establishments in the area; and Marlene Rose, who has
her own gallery in Clearwater as well as works in galleries
and museum across the country. All have added their
talent to the mix. Over two dozen artists are working in
the glass medium in the Tampa Bay area, and their ranks
are growing daily.
Meanwhile, Zen Glass Studio and Gallery in
St. Petersburg offers workshops and demonstrations in
glass year-round, and the Morean Art Center’s Glass
Studio & Hot Shop is open for visitors and demonstrations
daily, along with its world-famous Chihuly Collection.
In nearby Sarasota, the Ringling Museum opened the