Neon Talks with Jenna: She Bends
Jude Abu Zaineh (Palestinian-Canadian, born 1990). tend to grow (watermelons), 2022. Varying glass tubes and gases, electrodes; Dimensions variable. Photo by Museum of Glass.
EPISODE SUMMARY
Neon is a master-apprentice trade; those holding the knowledge control to whom it is passed. She Bends: Redefining Neon Legacy features artists of historically underrepresented communities in neon alongside the women who taught them, telling the story of the evolution of the medium playing out in real time, as custodians of the craft become more intentional about how, and to whom, they pass their torches.
Frit City Host Jenna Canals interviews She Bends co-owner Kelsey Issel and exhibiting artist Jude Abu Zaineh.
Photo by Kamryn Cusumano, courtesy of Jude Abu Zaineh.
JUDE ABU ZAINEH
Jude Abu Zaineh is a Palestinian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker. Her practice employs art, food, and technology to investigate meanings of culture, displacement, diaspora, and belonging. She examines ideals of home and community while working to develop aesthetics rooted in her childhood and upbringing in the Middle East.
Abu Zaineh is the recipient of the 2020 William and Meredith Saunderson Prizes for Emerging Artists, and was one of the first selected artists to participate in a collaborative residency with the Ontario Science Centre and MOCA Toronto (Canada). She has presented her work at a number of cultural institutions including Cultivamos Cultura, São Luis, Portugal; Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia, Lisbon, Portugal; Centro de Cultura Digital, Mexico City, Mexico; SVA, NYC, USA; Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, USA; Forest City Gallery, London, Canada; Art Gallery of Windsor, Canada; and Centre Culturel Canadien, Paris, France; and Museum of Glass, Washington, USA. Forthcoming works showing at Museum London x Media City Film Festival, London, Canada; City of Windsor x DWBIA, Windsor, Canada; and a solo exhibition at Artcite, Windsor, Canada.
Abu Zaineh received an MFA from the University of Windsor (Canada) and is currently a PhD Candidate (ABD) in Electronic Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY, USA) as a RPI HASS Fellow and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow.
She maintains an active studio practice between upstate NY, USA and Windsor-Essex, Canada. judeaz.com
KELSEY ISSEL
Originally from New York, Kelsey is an art consultant and art program & events producer, concentrating on social impact and womxn makers. She has worked with different venues over the past 10 years, producing multidisciplinary exhibitions, with an eye for artists pushing the boundaries of their practice and unique community engagement. Throughout her program work, Issel maintained private clients, for whom she builds art collections, manages art installations and designs spaces & events. This work has always remained an important piece of the puzzle for Issel, who’s main passion is to build as many different on-ramps for art as possible.
Kelsey first started her work with She Bends at her gallery in San Francisco and has become increasingly involved with She Bends, enticed by this amazing community of womxn that even Juxtapoz Magazine deemed “Revolutionary.” She is now the co-owner of She Bends and has taken on the role Director of Programs, to work more closely with She Bends founder and co-owner Meryl Pataky to exhibit around the nation and expand the scope of the programs and business.
She Bends co-owners Kelsey Issel (left) & Meryl Pataky (right).Photo courtesy of the artists.
Photo courtesy of Jenna Canals.
JENNA CANALS, HOST
Jenna Canals is an emerging professional in the museum field with a focus in museum development, DEAI work, and community programming. She received her BA in the History of Art from University of Florida in 2018 and currently works at Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. As the daughter of an educator, Canals' sincere regard for the powers of learning, community, and creativity drive and inspire her work.