Lisa Browder

What a great name for a glass museum. Although many pieces are realistic and you can attach a noun to them like flower, monkey, or horse, others are more abstract. Their titles give you the opportunity to take a second look and imagine what you might have produced if given a concept like “Fractured Earth” or “Illusion of Time” or “Compassion.”

Imagine Museum has nearly 450 pieces on display (from a collection of over 1,600). The techniques range from glass blowing, fusing, torch work and slumping (something I do on a regular basis). I had to look up glass slumping. It’s a process that uses gravity and heat from a kiln to shape sheet glass using a mold (OK not something I do on a regular basis). I’m not sure, but I think these pieces fall into that category:

There was a time, back in my dancing days, when I spent three years traveling overseas. I cried when we left Japan because I loved it so much. I was therefore immediately drawn to the Japanese display in the museum. Although the kimonos on the wall were fabric, the last three photos showcased the glassworks.

On a side note, my dance troupe was in a small seaside town called Ito on the Shizuoka peninsula. The hotel was at the top of a mountain and about halfway down was a restaurant that we frequented. Our Company Manager, who’d been to Japan before, knew the Mama-San who ran it. Mama-San would ply us with food and copious amounts of hot Sake and we were frequently poured into taxis to get back to the hotel.

Mama-San also managed several geishas, and they would report back to her at the end of the evening. On one of those late-night occasions, I talked Mama-San and the geisha, Kyo-San, into letting me try on a kimono. With all its material and belts on top of belts on top of belts, it takes more than one person to get into the thing and lots of unraveling to get out of it.

As you can see, I’m easily sidetracked. Let’s get back to Imagine Museum. Although I was fascinated by the old-world Japanese works, there were some beautiful and interesting early Roman and Venetian pieces at the front of the museum. In today’s culture, many of these would be brought out only on special occasions but in Rome and Venice, they were everyday glassware.

The museum is a treasure trove of color, technique, subject matter, shape and ideas. These were some of my favorites.

• The first is titled “Precipice.” Can’t you just imagine him on the edge of something like the Grand Canyon, peering down and wondering if he’s perhaps standing a bit too close to the edge?
• The bamboo wall of glass
• The prancing horse with its delicate features and horsehair tail
• The intricate bakery scene
• “Spirit Animal”
• The perfect balance of the “Three Fates”
• The blending of colors on the leaf
• The tiny bird peering at the leaf in the pool of water
• The color and movement of the two swimmers

This museum has very cleverly set up a scavenger hunt for children that’s a great way of engaging them in the art. I’m guessing that means you can actually stop and admire the works without having to rush through. Be sure to ask the docents for a scavenger guide before setting out to explore.

Last but not least, you’ll want to spend time browsing the gift shop in the lobby. They have some wonderful things to spend your money on. That includes jewelry, books, Christmas tree ornaments, vases, glass “cherries,” and cute little Hershey’s kisses.

• 1901 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, Florida
• http://www.imaginemuseum.com
• 727-300-1700
• $13 for seniors
• Closed on Mondays / Tuesday 10 AM – 8 PM / Wednesday 10 AM – 5 PM / Thursday 10 AM – 8 PM / Friday & Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM / Sunday Noon – 5 PM
• There is ample parking in the lot by the entrance to the museum