Cameo Gallery in Columbus, Ohio
Step inside as locals remember it and the first thing you pictured was glass that seemed to hold light. Cameo Gallery presented layered cameo glass and other glass art in tidy, gleaming displays that invited you to lean closer and study the cut lines, the depth, and the way color shifted as you moved.
Set in the Short North Arts District, the gallery operated as a dedicated glass space during the early 2000s. It was closely associated with cameo glass by Kelsey Murphy, whose work often incorporated West Virginia–made Blenko glass, and it leaned toward a traditional glass aesthetic compared to some of its more experimental neighbors. On First Saturday Gallery Hop nights, visitors recall the room filling steadily as people stepped off High Street to browse, talk techniques, and compare notes on favorite pieces.
Cameo Gallery’s footprint was compact, which suited its focus. Pedestal pieces and wall-mounted glass works took center stage, with room for small objects and occasional paintings that complemented the glass rather than competing with it. The display style made it easy to pause at each work and see the cameo process up close, from the delicate carving that revealed lighter layers beneath to motifs cut in crisp silhouette. It was the sort of place where you could spend ten unhurried minutes with one vase and feel like you finally understood how it was made.
The gallery’s run came to an end in 2009, part of a period when several Short North storefronts were changing hands. The address later welcomed another retailer, but longtime followers of the neighborhood’s arts scene still cite Cameo Gallery when they talk about the district’s glass-art chapter and how it shaped what people expected to find on a hop night.
- Neighborhood: Short North Arts District
- Status: Closed in 2009
- Former address: 772 N High St, Columbus
- Known for: cameo glass and glass art associated with Kelsey Murphy
If you’re mapping the Short North’s early-2000s gallery era or tracing glass art in Columbus, Cameo Gallery is a useful touchpoint, even if you’ll now be visiting current galleries nearby to see what’s next.
Published: August 28, 2026