Christy Coltrin
Artist, Writer, Storyteller, Creative Director, Business Owner
Christy Coltrin brings a unique blend of art, humor, and beauty to life through place-making sculptures and stories. At times, the original inspiration for an installation or collection originates from Christy while at other times she builds upon what her husband and business partner Brad Oldham starts – the duo have developed a tight process in working with each other since 2007. This special collaboration is one of two artists who know how to challenge each other to produce better work than either could do alone.
Leading Brad Oldham Sculpture pulls from all the skills and experiences that Christy honed before joining the company. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in marketing and communications from Texas A&M University, Christy worked as a market analyst and then as director of marketing in commercial real estate in Washington, D.C. Through the years, she has transitioned from marketing high-end commercial real estate projects to marketing esteemed luxury automotive brands, such as Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Volvo, Lexus, and Porsche. She was an integral part of the leadership team when her employer won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2005. The fast- paced business experiences in commercial real estate and cars proved to be great training for Christy when she joined Brad in leading Brad Oldham Sculpture. Coming from a world of high-end design and high-quality products, she understands the value of world-class craftsmanship.
In 2014, Christy debuted a collection of pocket sculptures, Tiny Sparks, which she created along with the accompanying stories told via custom-designed packaging and website. Christy oversees all the small editions and collections sold, which complements the public and privately commissioned sculpture work for which the company is well-known. In recognition of Christy’s and Brad’s commitment to downtown Dallas, they were awarded the Commitment to Caring Award in 2016 by the Stewpot Alliance. Also in 2016, due to Christy’s leadership and role in the business, the company earned the Women Business Enterprise, Small Business Enterprise and Historically Underutilized Business certifications.
In 2017, Christy was selected by the U.S. State Department to create and to execute a YLAI reverse exchange program. With support from the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, Christy conducted a series sculpture-teaching workshops for more than 250 under-privileged students in rural and urban areas around the country, and she met with nearly 50 entrepreneurs and artists to exchange ideas.