Neon as Soulcraft — Los Angeles Teaching Residency
Studio of Leticia Maldonado, Los Angeles, CA
April - June, 2024
Teaching Residency
Teaching Resident Artist, Leticia Maldonado
Student Resident Artist, Mayra Zambrano
In Los Angeles, teaching artist Leticia Maldonado and student artist Mayra Zambrano created Care for the Creatures (2024), a neon installation honoring native Californian species affected by climate change. Drawing on Zambrano’s background in environmental art and Maldonado’s longstanding sculptural exploration of botanical form, the pair produced glowing depictions of California flora and fauna—including poppies, lupines, butterflies, and a grizzly bear—using neon tubing as a contour line to suggest movement, relationship, and ecological interdependence.
The residency emphasized mentorship, skill transmission, and the emotional courage required to enter a historically gatekept craft. Zambrano learned foundational bending and sequencing techniques, gaining the confidence and fluency needed to continue working in neon beyond the residency. Maldonado deepened her teaching practice through extended one-on-one guidance and shared conceptual inquiry.
This work was exhibited in Neon as Soulcraft at the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco (2024).
