Current Exhibits at Imagine Museum May 2023 (2023)

The Imagine Museum has access to the Trish Joy Collection of over 1,500 contemporary National and International glass art works representing the finest artists working with the material of glass in the world. At any given time, our Museum displays approximately 450 of these works in curated exhibitions. During your visit, you will find exhibitions that demonstrate the history of the American Studio Glass Movement, galleries that showcase individual artists who have made their mark in the art field, as well as galleries that take you through various themes relating to the magical properties of glass. Imagine Museum invites you to visit over and over again as we strive to bring to our audience the “best of the best” glass art in the world today.

Internationally renowned artist Livio Seguso has and continues to be a pioneer in the expressive use of glass. From the island of Murano, where, from an early age, he achieved an in-depth knowledge of traditional glassmaking techniques, Seguso has since abandoned those techniques and focusedon the clear crystal,changeable and ambiguous purity of glass as an expressive art form.In recent years, his artistic pursuits exceeded the confines of glass, leading Seguso to experiment with and incorporate other materials like steel, rock, marble, granite, and, more recently, wood. The new mediums, always used in combination with glass, promote both the transparency of glass and the intensity of the light, creating an ideal between the sense of refined elegance and poetic imagination.

Imagine Museum’s collection of contemporary glass art has grown from the original 500 pieces of American studio glass to now, a collection of over 1500 museum quality glass sculptures representing 20 countries from around the world. We are pleased to showcase a curated selection of these “Master” artists from the countries of the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. You’ll be amazed at the size of the cast glass, the exquisite form and vibrant colors of these magnificent pieces.

Gottfried Helnwein is an internationally recognized artist/painter who collaborated with Trish Duggan, an artist/sculptor, and together they created the installation called “Blue Madonna”. Helnwein created the photo realistic paintings of the Madonna depicted by the Renaissance painters. Duggan’s inspiration was the actual Madonna face, cast in glass from a mold of the original “Pieta” by Michelangelo and embellished with her own aesthetic. This collaboration between the artists creates an inspiring homage to mothers from around the world.

Walking into the American Masters exhibit, you will be awed by the brilliant display of all the possibilities of glass as an artform. Artists who began the Studio Glass Movement, along with 2nd and 3rd generation of artists working with glass, come together in a stunning example of the diversity of ideas, techniques and creativity.

During the 12^thcentury, the technique of creating sheet glass was developed in Venice and led to the creation of the iconic stained-glass windows of the medieval ages. In 1291, all glassmaking operations in the Venice Republic were moved to the island of Murano to secure this valued art away from frequent fires in one closely guarded area. It was during the Renaissance when Venice became known as the “glassmaking center of the Western world”. However, the dissolution of the Venetian state by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797, and the spread of glassmaking talent throughout Europe eventually diminished the importance of Venice and its Murano glassmakers. It was not until the 1920s that Murano glassmaking began a revival. Today, Murano and Venice continue their centuries-old traditions of glass and is home to numerous glass factories, individual artist studios, museums and galleries.

Prepare to be amazed as you confront the most current ideas, trends, and techniques in the glass art world today. You will see with your own eyes the collaboration between science and art. American and International artists come together to create a display that will keep you coming back for more.

A journey of the imagination lies in our hopes and dreams, carrying us off into worlds that never were and into realms of the unimaginable. Tap into your imagination and take a journey into the other worldly orbits of your mind. Experience for yourself the artists’ voices as they offer you new perceptions, inciting us through wonderment and opening our minds to new ideas and understanding.

Contemporary Czech glass has had a remarkable influence in the development of the Studio Glass Movement worldwide. In the 1960s, Harvey Littleton and Dale Chihuly were discovering the potential of glass as an art form, while Libensky, Brychtova and Cigler were already pushing the boundaries of cast glass sculpture. Because of the political status of Czechoslovakia as an Iron Curtain country, it was not until the early 1980’s that Czech artists were allowed to travel and teach abroad creating International awareness of their glass techniques, and traditions along with their artistic pursuits.

“The Watchers” installation is a collaboration between Swedish artist, Bertil Vallien and American artist, Trish Duggan. The imposing, inspiring, guardian-like figures act as modern-day representations of ancient sentinels. They stand silently overseeing and observing all that pass by. They are our keepers, our symbols of power, longevity and timelessness. They are the “watchers” of a universal force guiding our empirical journey of human existence.

Contemporary Japanese glass art is as striking as it is diverse, combining European glass making methods with Japan’s inherent sensibility of beauty. The glass sculptures capture a sense of independence for the artists because the history of Japanese contemporary glass is relatively short, with ceramics being the medium of longevity and choice for the culture. Nature and beauty find no boundaries for the expression of the Japanese artists in our collection as they use the glass material to capture their independent voice.

1000 Prayers for Compassion is a site-specific installation created by Trish Duggan, a prominent American artist and Founder of the Imagine Museum. In this installation, Duggan has cast 1000 glass Quan Yin heads in hopes to conjure a communal effort to embrace others, show compassion, and radiate love. Duggan thoughtfully uses Quan Yin, the ancient Chinese Goddess of Mercy, love, and compassion to embody these same themes in her work.

Annually, the “Glass Path” hallway on the 2nd floor changes out to give the
museum goer an experience as they stroll through the galleries.