ABOUT US

She Bends is a neon organization and teaching studio dedicated to the practice and study of neon craft and contemporary art.

Through exhibitions, education and research, She Bends celebrates the artists who keep neon alive—foregrounding the medium as a living craft shaped by identity, memory, and shared transmission. We highlight the contributions of women and gender-expansive artist-makers who bend their own glass, exploring themes of devotion to craft, belonging, and the poetics of working with heat and time.

She Bends has organized and co-curated exhibitions with the Museum of Craft and Design San Francisco, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of Glass Tacoma, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, the Loveland Museum, and the Museum of Neon Art Los Angeles. Our residency programs support both teaching lineages and live/work practices, expanding neon education and studio access in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle/Tacoma, and San Francisco.

Through workshops, live demonstrations, and public programs, we make neon’s processes accessible and transparent—inviting new audiences while encouraging responsible stewardship of the craft. She Bends contributes to conversations on practice and preservation with partners such as the de Young Museum, the Getty Conservation Institute, the Glass Art Society, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Dia Foundation, The Menil Collection and the American Craft Council. Our work has been featured in publications including American Craft, Colossal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and KQED.

We are stewarding a diverse and sustainable living legacy for neon craft and contemporary art—held, taught, and illuminated through the hands of those who carry it forward.

the art

of neon

by Gaby Scott

FOUNDERS

A woman standing in front of a wall with a large pink neon sign that reads "NEON." Below the sign, there are black letters spelling "AS SOULC." She is wearing a white Brooklyn t-shirt, black pants, and has her hair tied up in a bun.

  • Kelsey Issel is a culture worker and maker whose practice centers the ethos of craft—learning through doing, cultivating attention, and recognizing the social responsibility held within materials. She leads Opie Project (space), an arts and culture firm that develops cross-sector programs investing in cultural capital, with partners including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Headlands Center for the Arts, the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Port of San Francisco, and Coca-Cola.

    With a background in alternative photography, sculpture, and neon, Kelsey’s hands-on material practice informs her approach to curating, programming, and public initiatives. Her work bridges art and infrastructure, sustaining cultural ecosystems and the communities that grow around them.

    opieps.com

Young woman with a tattooed arm working at a cluttered wooden workbench in a rustic studio, with fire in front of her and neon lights on the wall.

  • Meryl Pataky is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose work explores the relationship between the hand and material. Working with neon, welding, and mixed media, she creates abstract sculptural forms that consider connection, transformation, and the spirituality embedded in craft. Her recent work, shaped by the experience of motherhood, reflects on resilience and personal evolution through the physical language of heat, breath, and timing.

    A dedicated mentor, Meryl teaches neon bending in her San Francisco studio and has led youth and community programs through organizations including Synergy School, Southern Exposure, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Her work has been exhibited widely and is held in the Museum of Glass collection. She is the recipient of a 2025 Center for Craft Teaching Artist Fellowship, a 2024 SECA Finalist, and a 2022 Women in Lighting, Light Art awardee.

    merylpataky.com