Chelsea Glidden

I am an artist, educator, and professor currently teaching at Glenville State University. My career spans secondary and higher education, having worked as a high school art teacher before transitioning to the college level. Alongside my teaching, I maintain an active studio practice, integrating professional artistic experience with pedagogy to support student growth, critical thinking, and creative development.

My work explores identity, interaction, and transformation through ceramics, wearable sculpture, and light based installations. Existing between American and Puerto Rican cultures informs the conceptual foundation of my practice. My work draws from the Puerto Rican folkloric tradition of the vejigante, combining historical references with contemporary interpretations of American pop culture to create a space that is both familiar and unfamiliar. This body of work explores ceramic as a medium for creating large scale, functional lamps that move beyond utility and into the realm of interactive art. Through playfulness and interactivity, these sculptures engage the surrounding space by projecting lines and patterns of light that shift with movement. Light extends the ceramic form into the environment, inviting exploration and participation. My practice also includes theatrical masks and large scale wearable sculptures created through traditional and contemporary methods. Using vibrant color, texture, and found materials, I create characters that serve as tongue in cheek reflections on everyday Puerto Rican life, allowing each viewer to form an individual and inclusive experience.