Imagine Museum

 

 

Photo courtesy of Google maps

Imagine Museum
1901 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
(727) 300-1700

https://www.imaginemuseum.com/

 

 AT A GLANCE:  Imagine Museum

Date of visit	December, 2020
Parking	Plentiful on-street parking
Amount of time needed to peruse exhibits:	30 – 45 minutes
Amount of time needed for gift shop	30 – 45 minutes
The “must have” souvenir	Blown glass shot glass
Online shopping	Some.  If you see something you like in the gift shop, buy it.
Kid friendly shopping	Yes.  There’s toys and games, as well as glass artwork suited for all budgets.
Kid friendly	Yes, but keep in mind that almost everything in the gift shop is glass and very breakable.
Dress code	Dress as to not offend your grandmother.
Be sure to…..	See if you can spot the pieces by Dale Chihuly without looking at the labels.
Nearby/other establishments to visit	Chihuly Exhibit at Morean Arts Center
Walkability, general downtown area / amount of traffic	Even though the Imagine Museum is only about a mile down the street from the Morean Arts Center, I don’t recommend walking (see map, below).  That’s ok, because there’s convenient on-street parking out front.
Safety, in terms of type and number of crimes committed in general area	Generally safe, but practice common sense.

 

 

Mission Statement

To elevate the creativity of the art and artists contributing to the contemporary studio glass movement from around the world.
We accomplish this through research, exhibitions and education.

 

 

 

 

 

The Imagine Museum is another pleasant surprise.  Take the time to stop in after visiting the Chihuly Exhibit at the Morean Arts Center to continue the cool “glass as art” vibe that you’ve got going.  Like the Morean, the Imagine Museum has room after room of “wow”-inducing colorful and funky glass art which will practically slap you across the face with its brilliance.  There are some truly spectacular works of art, and they photograph well against the neutral gray walls of the Museum. 

 

 Let’s get to know some of the big names in glass blowing before we meander through the Imagine Museum.  Here’s a list of the top names to know in glass blowing per Working the Flame website, a good source for this type of information:

1) Rene Lalique

2) Dominick Labino *

3) Harvey Littleton *

4) Vera Liskova

5) Marvin Lipofsky *

6) Dale Chihuly *

7) Martin Blank *

8) Carol Milne

9) Ritsue Mishima

10) William Morris

 

Five of the Top Ten Must Know Glass Artists, Labino, Littleton, Lipofsky, Chihuly and Blank are all represented at the Imagine Museum.  Check out the list here https://workingtheflame.com/famous-glass-artists/. By the way, Harvey Littleton is considered the "Father of Glass Works." Additionally, of the “8 Contemporary Glass Artists That Shatter the Boundaries of the Craft,” Dylan Martinez has artwork at the Imagine Museum.  Here’s that website: https://mymodernmet.com/contemporary-glass-art/

This was my favorite piece of art.  It's by Dylan Martinex, one of the "8 Contemporary Glass Artists That Shatter the Boundaries of the Craft."

 

 Find the pieces by Chihuly in the exhibit and feel a wave of familiarity and knowledge was over you.  Why?  You’ve been up the road already and know all about Dale Chihuly and his artworks.  It’s both an artsy and a warm and fuzzy feeling at the same time.

 

 

There’s so much remarkable glass art here that it proved difficult to limit the number of photos to include with this blog, but please take a moment to appreciate what can be accomplished with glass.

 

My favorite piece of art are the ones that look like a bagel bag filled with water by Dylan Martinez (see photo above), and it’s amazing considering it’s all accomplished with blown glass.  Sadly, nothing like this was in the gift shop to buy, but not to worry.  

 

 

 

 The Imagine Museum has a wonderful gift shop with plenty of other things to look at and purchase.  There’s no refrigerator magnets or wearables here, but that’s ok because this gift shop has much to offer in terms of affordable glassworks.  Just a head’s up:  you’ll find plenty of items for sale on the Imagine Museum website, but it’s a fraction of what’s available in the actual gift shop.  If you see something you like, buy it.  I saw unique and delightful bowls and vases that would make great gifts for someone, or for yourself.

Welcome to the Gift Shop!  It's all hand blown glass, and it's all for sale.

 

Jewelry for all tastes and budgets.

This week's "must have" souvenir is one of these unique shot glasses. 

We wandered through this haven of glass for about (25) minutes trying to be polite by keeping our “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” to ourselves,  It was tough, as you can see by the photos.  Work you way over to the counters that are located in the middle of the shop and gaze upon this week’s must-have souvenir:  artsy blown glass shot glasses.  At least, we thought they were shot glasses. 

 

 

 

 For more information

The craft of glass blowing:  https://workingtheflame.com/topics/glassblowing/

 

 Finally, I want to leave you with these two photos.  The first is the original artwork, and the second is a closeup of it.  It's all done with blown glass!

 

'Til next time.