Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Coleman.
Abigail, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, I have spent my adolescence and now adulthood in the Mandeville, Louisiana area due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Being the youngest of three, and the only female, I spent much of my youth drawing and hiding from my brothers. I like to say that I was born with a spark. Like many other artists, I have an uncontrollable desire to make. It has been with me since the time I was three years old and stuffed my face into a box of crayons and proclaimed, “I love the smell of art!”. My mother loves that story. She tells everyone she can at my art openings. With that, I mean to imply that becoming an artist has been my mission my whole life.
I recently completed my Bachelor of Art in Fine Art with a concentration in Sculpture from Southeastern Louisiana University. During my six years there my practice evolved from a hyper-focus on creating objects in the round to a more interdisciplinary way of working. This included aspects of drawing, painting, digital media, and printmaking. While pursuing my undergrad, I submitted to numerous shows and exhibitions, winning Best of Show for the Student Exhibition at Southeastern in the Spring of 2018, which led to being selected to represent the university at the Louisiana Universities Academic Summit that same spring. In 2019, I held my senior exhibition at the university simultaneously with a solo exhibition in the Mezzanine Gallery located at the Hammond Regional Arts Center.
I am in pursuit of a Master’s of Fine Art, beginning in the fall of 2020. In the meantime, I continue to create work, advancing my practice and proficiency with digital media. I sell work directly from my website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think anything of value comes easily, and if it does I’m usually suspicious. That may sound pessimistic, but no one strives for a dream or a goal without some hiccups. So, no, the road has not been smooth, and I’m still many, many miles from my destination. Hopefully, the road will never end. What is the point of doing anything if you’re not learning along the way?
Getting to this part, the part where I have a degree and am a professional in my realm, felt like it was unattainable at many points in my life. Any time someone asks you what you want to do in your life and the answer is “make art,” the responses are always the same.
“What are you going to do with that?”
“How are you going to make money?”
“You know, an artist’s famous last words are ‘do you want fries with that?’ ”
That last one is my favorite; said to me time and again by one of my favorite family members when I was much younger than I am now. Those words discouraged me from the path I always wanted. For a long time, I ran away from it, choosing other options, trying for another career, the path that made me money. None of it brought me peace. In the end, and through a lot of other troubles, I won’t bore anyone with, getting back on my path saved me.
My advice to anyone who has a spark: whatever it leans towards, whatever it demands of you, listen. The people who discourage you and doubt you may have your best interest in mind, whether it’s a parent, or a teacher, a friend, or an uncle. But, they are not living your life. Ignore them and keep going.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My practice is concentrated on the contrast between the natural world and the human-made. The structures we erect are permanent and regular, designed to withstand years of weathering. We cut away earth to make way for concrete walkways, remove layers of material for roads and bridges. Despite all this effort to control our environment with straight lines and grid-like patterns, buildings still crumble, and roads still crack. The environment readily accepts the cycle of growth, life, and death; but humanity has imposed conflict by attempting to assert dominance over natural systems. This has led me to seek an understanding of the disparity between fabricated and the organic.
My sculptural work uses construction grade materials in combination with papers and fibers to create dynamic forms that appear to be in a state of flux between growth and decay. In the artworks on paper, I focus on the use of maps and vector imagery in combination with ambiguous, organic shapes to create a field that bends the boundaries between landscape and aerial views.
My artwork is the culmination of a deep curiosity with the world around us. Everything I make has a sense of ambiguity about it. This isn’t so intentional as it is a byproduct of this curiosity. Nothing has ever really held my attention for very long, my mind constantly ricocheting between thoughts, ideas, and so many questions. This ping-ponging results in a landscape that is also a map, but also a microscopic view of a much larger organism. Everything is connected but separated.
My most recent exhibition, simply titled “Build/Grow”, displays the outcome of my zig-zagging mind. Showing the viewer several small sculptures that look like growths, mushrooms, decayed buildings, fragments of skin, but also displaying fine art prints of pieces of maps and large-scale drawings of everything in between.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Finding a mentor is always a difficult business for me. Often, being under the guidance of an older and more experienced individual leads to small amounts of idolization, which can be dangerous. My challenge was learning how to accept their guidance, but maintain my sense of self. Guidelines, not rules. This may be easier for others, but was a tough lesson for me to learn. Anyone who is willing and able to teach you what they know can be a good mentor, but remember to keep your individual mission in mind, and not absorb theirs.
I am forever grateful to the faculty and artists at Southeastern Louisiana University for bestowing their knowledge and wisdom upon me, and for putting up with my antics. I’d like to specifically mention Benjamin Diller and Ernest Milsted for helping me figure it all out and encouraging me to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: abigailcolemanartist.com
- Email: abigailr.coleman@gmail.com
- Instagram: a.co_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A.ColemanArtist
Image Credit:
Abigail Coleman
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
