NEON WORKSHOPS

She Bends is a working artist studio, sign shop, and teaching studio in San Francisco dedicated to keeping the craft of neon alive and accessible. We offer one-on-one workshops, extended study, group classes, studio events, and live glass-bending demonstrations—all grounded in hands-on learning and respect for this 120-year-old, fire-based craft.

Our workshops are designed for absolute beginners, emerging artists, designers, and anyone curious about how neon is made. Students learn directly in the fires using professional tools and materials, guided by working artists who bend their own glass.

Offerings

Multiple blue neon wavy lines on a wall creating a pattern.

ABSTRACT

  • Our Abstract Workshop is designed to get you comfortable in the fires without the pressure of following a pattern. You'll learn the foundational tools and materials of neon, practice heating and shaping glass, and create a simple abstract or organic 3D form.

    Format
    • One-on-one only
    • 3 hours

    Optional Add-On
    Take your piece all the way to finished neon. We’ll process and wire your form so it lights up—power supply included.

  • With Master Teacher Meryl Pataky: $600
    With Apprentice Teacher Kelsey Issel: $450

    Optional Add-On
    We can finish and process (pump + power supply) your project so it lights up — $450 per piece.

Colorful neon sign with rainbow shape on a plain wall.

immersive

  • The Immersive Workshop is designed for those who want focused time at the fires — whether you're working on a specific project, exploring neon as part of your art practice, or seriously considering developing as a bender. You’ll learn core techniques, refine bending skillsl, and create a project within the scope of the workshop.

    Format
    • 2-Day Immersive: 2 days, ~6 hours/day
    • 3-Day Intensive: 3 days, ~9 hours total
    • 1:1 format only (project-focused)

    *Students who have taken at least 2 Immersive Workshops are eligible to apply for our NEON LAB program, where benders can book time in the studio for more independent skill-building.

  • • 2-Day Immersive: starting at $860
    • 3-Day Intensive: starting at $1,190

    Processing
    Take your piece all the way to finished neon. We’ll process and wire your form so it lights up—power supply included. — $550+ per piece*

    *dependent on size and materials

Booking + FAQs
Women at a social gathering exchanging an item, in a colorful room with neon signs.

GROUP

  • Our Group Workshops offer a collaborative entry point into neon. Designed for teams, creative departments, birthday groups, visiting schools, or anyone who wants to learn together, these sessions introduce participants to bending fundamentals while creating abstract forms or simple patterns. Guided my 2 neon instructors so everyone gets time in the fires!

    Format
    • Groups of 2–6
    • 3–5 hour sessions depending on group size
    • Includes instruction, demonstrations, shared studio time, and safety orientation

  • • 2 people, 3 hours: $1,000
    • 3 people, 4 hours: $1,500
    • 5 people, 4 hours: $1,800
    • 6 people, 4 hours: $2,100

    Optional Add-On
    Have us finish and process individual or a collaborative piece so it lights up (power supply included): price based on amount and size of pieces, starts at $450 per piece

    *For groups greater than 6, email us to discuss a custom format.

Two women sitting at a table with a neon sign that says 'She Bends' behind them, one resting her chin on her hand and the other leaning on her arm, with various items on the table in front of them.

Your Teachers

Meryl Pataky — Master Teacher

Meryl has been bending neon for 15 years and teaching for more than a decade. A nationally-exhibited artist and lifelong craftsperson, her teaching blends technical rigor, deep material knowledge, and a generosity of spirit that has shaped a new generation of neon benders.

Kelsey Issel — Apprentice Teacher

Kelsey has worked with neon for 7 years and committed fully to her bending practice in the last three. As both an artist and educator, she approaches neon through tvhe lens of material history, embodied practice, and the contemporary renaissance of hand-bent light.

  • A woman in a black band T-shirt with a metal graphic logo, tattoos on her arms, and glasses working with a torch and molten glass in a workshop.
  • A woman working with glass blowing equipment in a workshop, with a lit piece of molten glass on a metal tube.
  • A woman with glasses and tattoos wearing a pink shirt, she is blowing glass in a workshop filled with tools, supplies, and colorful objects.
  • Tattooed hands holding a knife and cutting a piece of meat or food on a white surface.
  • A woman with tattoos on her arms working with scientific equipment at a cluttered wooden workbench in a lab or workshop.
  • Two women are working on a project at a wooden table in a workshop with exposed beams and pipes. One woman with braids is pointing at something on the table, while the other woman observes.
  • A woman wearing a black hat and hoodie working on a glass piece at a workbench in a dimly lit studio with colorful neon art on the wall behind her.
  • Two women working on large papers or plans on the wooden floor of a rustic room with a large window, bookshelves, and various objects on shelves. One woman is kneeling and the other is crouching, both focused on the plans. The room has natural light, a neon palm tree sign, and an American flag draped over a chair.
  • People exchanging a paper at an event, with colorful lighting and neon signs in the background.
  • Person with long hair, sunglasses, and a black cap and hoodie working on a glass piece at a workbench in a workshop with a neon art piece in the background.
  • Two women in a neon studio, one is holding a glass tube connected to a blow hose, the other watches. Shelves and tools are visible in the background.
  • A person is bending a glass tube in a custom neon burner, with a flame directed at the glass.
  • Person holding a glass tube in a ribbon burner flame, surrounded by onlookers at a demonstration event.
  • A woman with long dark hair working at a glass bending table in an industrial-style neon studio with exposed wood beams and shelves.