Putting the funk into glassblowing
- Cedric is a multidisciplinary creator whose primary medium is blown glass
- He terms his aesthetic, which mixes bold forms, colour and whimsy, Modern Funk
- He champions greater access and inclusion for underrepresented makers
Cedric Mitchell found his way into his craft through experimentation. He explored various creative paths, from rapping and painting to printmaking, before discovering glassblowing. He relocated to Los Angeles to work with his mentor, acclaimed glass artist Joe Cariati. With influences from Italian postmodernism to graffiti, hip-hop and 1990s nostalgia, Cedric’s designs blend sculpture and functionality. “I enjoy bringing my unconventional approach to new contexts,” he says. He has worked on brand campaigns with Nike and Meta and collaborations with the LEGO Group and Heath Ceramics. As an active community advocate, Cedric also works with Crafting the Future and other non-profits to empower aspiring BIPOC artisans, facilitating scholarships, residencies and other opportunities.
Discover his work
INTERVIEW
The difficulty and skill, the craftsmanship and the details that go into the mastery of it. You have to think like a gardener and work like a carpenter. It is not something you can just pick up and be immediately good at. When I started, I was also training with my brother in boxing and I carried that focus on longevity and endurance over into my work.
Many of my pieces are inspired by Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group. My discovery of them came through Afro-postmodernism. In 1990s hip-hop culture, I saw these postmodern designs with bright colours and busy patterns, and I mixed them with other influences from my childhood to develop my own design language.
I like to create things that bring people joy. I research how people react to different colours and combinations of colours, for example in chromotherapy or via dopamine décor during the pandemic. It is about transforming space with objects that brighten and liven up a room.
I am here to be used. I want to take what I know and what I have accomplished and become a ladder for other people to climb. I feel that I should be propelling other makers in my vicinity up so that they can be next in line. It is critical for me to show that this is a viable career path.
