“A Bad Man is Hard to Blind” by Kate Hush
Founded to support historically marginalized craftspeople in the neon trade, She Bends is dedicated to building a more equitable future for neon art through public education, curatorial projects, and artist programs that foster diversity and sustainability.
These program push the boundaries of the neon medium beyond commercial signage into the realm of fine art.
Upcoming exhibitions
SHE BENDS: NEON AS SOULCRAFT
Museum of craft and design, SF
july 20 - november 24, 2024
press highlight
“But by paying the artists for their time and materials, She Bends and the museum have helped these artists overcome these barriers. For instance, thanks to the residency, Melendez and her student Baker, who has an MFA from Tyler, got to experiment with pricey black-light and cobalt glasses.
“In the last 5-10 years, as younger, more diverse artists get their hands on this material, the art form evolves,” Issel said. “The concepts being expressed, the way the material is used, the way it’s talked about, the way it’s taught — that all changes when more people have access to it and want to pass it on.””
recent exhibitions
FIRST LIGHT: rituals in glass and neon
Contemporary jewish museum, SF
dec 6, 2023- april 28, 2024
redefining neon legacy
Museum of glass, tacoma
feb-oct 2023
Redefining Neon Legacy features artists of historically under-represented communities in neon alongside the women who taught them, and explores how the evolution of teaching methodologies over the past two decades has affected neon as a process-driven fine art form.
Image credit: Victoria Ahmadizadeh Melendez, “a quiet life, a couple of time over” 2022
Residencies
Kacie Lees
2022 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, LOS ANGELES
Jude Abu Zaineh
2021 Artist in Residence, San Francisco
