MEET THE ARTIST

Sean Donlon has been drawn to the challenges of manipulating glass since the first day he melted a clear marble. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Craft and Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012. Living and working in Ithaca, New York, Sean Donlon divides his time between his studio practice and his role as the Scientific Glassblower for Cornell University, where the two practices continually inform and inspire one another.

Artist Statement:

Through flameworking, I construct sculptural forms and immersive installations that explore the relationship between object, space, and viewer. My work investigates how everyday forms—objects we often overlook—can become sites of reflection, interaction, and narrative. 
The teapot became central to my practice when I recognized that functional objects, long avoided for fear they might constrain my voice, could instead serve as a potent canvas for experimentation. In their ordinariness, teapots reveal possibilities for play, connection, and storytelling. The mirror teapot embodies this duality: each piece is a distinct individual, yet together they form a network, a micro-community that mirrors the relational dynamics of human experience.
These mirrored surfaces do not merely reflect—they activate the space and the viewer. As the observer moves, the work shifts, blurring the line between artwork and audience. The teapots become portals, moments in which reflection, perception, and engagement converge, inviting viewers to participate in creating meaning, ultimately becoming part of the work themselves.