Coleman Bishop grew up in Great Falls, Virginia. He came to Tulane to study Psychology, but there discovered a passion for glass, learning with legend Gene Koss. He works and teaches at YAYA Arts Center in Mid City. This is his first solo show. 

Coleman hates nothing more than $10 mass manufactured vases. But long practiced in making unique glassware, Coleman has since explored sculptural and experimental projects. An early sculpture he made at Tulane sits on the moss covered pedestal: “River Road” features two green pillars on a steel base that reflect the bend of its namesake. After developing this style for some time, and in a stroke of accident,  he began making faces – with flickering hair, and gaping eyes. The two on display are called “Cheerio” and “Tony”. 

But Coleman became inspired to challenge the tradition of displaying glass on pedestals. That’s why he began working with orbs – hollow, soft, colorless forms – that sit on the walls like drops of dew on grass. So too soft flames fill a handmade ceramic bowl in “Bio Frost,” and the organic, opaque “Gloss Moss” hangs from the ceiling. Spanish moss embellishes these works, evoking the environment of New Orleans that first inspired him in his practice. 

When asked about the “meaning” of his work, Coleman insists that it can only derive from his dual experience of making and displaying. On the one hand, there is Coleman’s joy in the immersion of working with glass in its molten form. On the other, there is the solid product that is a remnant of a creative experience already-passed. In a way, this duality is preserved within the final product itself: glass is ephemeral (as signified by the pieces broken in the assembly of this show), and is also among the longest surviving human artifacts, from as far back as Ancient Egypt. Coleman hopes that in sharing these pieces with you, he can share also his joy in making them, preserved therein. I propose that the beauty of the works on display accomplishes just this. Against a trend of demanding from art social or political messaging, Coleman represents a long-standing counter-trend: inspiration by beauty. Talking with Coleman as he holds his glass, you can see the glint of wonder in his eyes. I hope his art and wonder inspires you as he has I.

-Helen Hawkins, March 15th 2024