Trish is an accomplished glass artist who creates truly distinct works.
Kotler/Coville Glass Pavilion in 2017, and it now gets over
400,000 visitors a year.
Trish Duggan of Belleair Beach holds the key to ensure the
continued success of the 57-years-young Studio Glass Movement
on the Gulf Coast. Duggan decided to open the Imagine Museum,
a museum dedicated to the American Glass Movement, and to
share the top American glass artists and their work with the world.
Her dream began when she was introduced to Corey Hampson,
president of Habatat Galleries in Royal Oak, Michigan, who owns
the largest studio glass gallery in the world and is the top broker
representing artists who work in glass internationally. Hampson
assembled a collection of more than 500 pieces representing
55 American artists over 55 years. The purchase of this collection
was the beginning of Duggan’s efforts to underwrite and create
the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, which opened its doors
in 2018. It is an independent, nonprofit 501c3 organization with a
vision to elevate the art of contemporary studio glass nationally
and internationally.
As Duggan continues to make her own art, manage her
businesses, promote human rights around the world and care
for her six adopted children, she is determined to build the
most significant collection of contemporary art made with
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glass. Her plan is to bring universal attention to the artists she is
collecting in order to ensure that their works will be recognized
and appreciated beyond their lifetimes.
Glass has shaped the world more than any other substance.
It’s the defining material of the human era. This material, born of
earth and fire, has facilitated so much of our human activity and
progress. Glass represents a historical evolution of the expansion
of our imagination beyond the stars to create beauty that will
uplift and inspire those who experience it.
Anyone who knows Duggan knows she is a powerhouse of
strength, determination, gratitude and love. She has acquired
an additional 1,000 pieces of glass sculpture, as she continues
to grow her American Collection. She is also moving toward
assembling the most exclusive premiere collection of works by
international artists working in glass today. The next phase of
Imagine Museum will be to have a space to house the more
significant sculptures of international glass, while continuing to
develop the current Imagine Museum space with experiences
that not only will inspire and uplift, but also amaze visitors to
the museum.
At the invitation of Duggan, Corey Hampson is opening a
gallery next door to Imagine Museum called Hampson Gallery,
ART