Top Scientology donor in running for a Clearwater library exhibit
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A top donor to the Church of Scientology is in the running to install an art exhibit in the Clearwater Main Library.
Trish Duggan opened the Imagine Museum in downtown St. Petersburg in 2018, showcasing more than 500 pieces of glass artwork. In 2019, she met with officials to discuss turning Clearwater’s former City Hall, a key property in a downtown redevelopment plan, into a second location of her museum.
Now, she’s a top contender for a partnership with the city, which would allow the Imagine Museum to lease out a portion, or the majority, of the downtown library.
“Imagine Museum got involved in this project to share our stunning glass art with a broader audience,” Kelly Lee, project manager for the museum, wrote in an email. “The library building itself with all the natural light is spectacular for showing the beauty of glass art. It could also be a fantastic opportunity for visitors to Clearwater Beach to enjoy a unique, uplifting fine art experience.”
Clearwater officials are on a mission to make the library a “destination experience.” They’re looking to build off the similarly named but unrelated Imagine Clearwater development plan for the city’s waterfront, which is home to Coachman Park and The Sound amphitheater.
In November, Clearwater Vice Mayor Lina Teixeira pitched the idea to reimagine the library to City Council.
“When I presented this to the council, I was thinking of the Smithsonian, the Dalí, the Museum of Fine Arts,” she said. “We’re talking about well-established, successful, nationally known museums because I think that’s what we deserve.”
The city put out a request for proposals this year to museums, planetariums and performing arts institutions to lease a portion of the library. City staff have ranked the Imagine Museum No. 1 out of three finalists.
In a project proposal submitted to the city, the Imagine Museum pitched three different plans detailing its vision for community events, kids’ activities and glass exhibits.
Duggan is one of the top donors to Scientology in the world. Her ex-husband told Forbes magazine in 2016 he had donated $360 million to the church.
She is also connected to the church’s growing footprint in Clearwater.
In 2017, the City Council approved the Imagine Clearwater plan to revive a struggling downtown and redevelop the waterfront, like Tampa and St. Petersburg had done in years prior.
As a part of the project, the city purchased a piece of land the church was eyeing for its own redevelopment plan. In the years since, the Tampa Bay Times has documented a wave of purchases of downtown properties, made by companies with ties to Scientology. Most of these buildings remain empty.
Content retrieved from: https://www.tbnweekly.com/clearwater_beacon/article_262baf6f-02ba-4a75-a4a3-93981fcea3aa.html.
