Meryl Pataky

Thanks @sfchronicle and @heather_on_earth for this article about @shebendsneon upcoming show NEON AS SOULCRAFT at @museumofcraftanddesign . Read about the 3 residencies we facilitated in LA, Seattle/Tacoma and Philly and learn more about the mission and philosphies behind the work. Link in bio . It feels special as well to mark and remember Kelsey's @kelsey.issel23 deeper dive into bending, with her grand debut in the form of the show's gigantic marquee letters. You did so well, proud of u boo. . Cant wait to show @gabyscotts short film about the process. Stay tuned. . NEON AS SOULCRAFT opens Saturday July 20th. The Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco. @museumofcraftanddesign . FEATURING: Teacher @leticiamaria / Student @mayras_artique Teacber @dani.kaes / Student @mgoldberg_art Teacher @internet___angel / Student @christenbaker_

Wowwwww photo of "Weaver" by @dopplerfto . Borosilicate glass, helium gas and candles. @pt.2gallery

A year in the making, True Gravity is officially on view in Corning NY until March 2027! This piece was the product of the Antigravity Residency, a collaboration between Rockwell Museum and Corning Museum of Glass— a unique opportunity to be commissioned for a site-specific work that lives in the Rockwell’s historic rotunda and attend a residency in CMoG’s hotshop (more on that amazing experience in another post). Meryl and I were invited as a collaborative duo, and our installation is the museums’ contribution to “Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026,” a nationwide initiative led by Craft in America. So FIRST, thank you to these amazing institutions for supporting artists in this expansive way. This project felt like a beautifully intentional and inevitable evolution of my 8-year collaboration and sisterhood with Meryl. It is a record of trust in each other, in the material, and in the invisible forces, human and natural, that bind us. “The installation consists of seventy individual glass units filled with krypton gas, casting a subtle and soft silver light. It was conceptualized by Kelsey, and fabricated under what we called our collaborative mentorship. Kelsey introduced me to the writing of Michael Murphy, whose concept of true gravity—the state in which the body yields to what the material and environment already intend—became central to our material approach, our collaboration, and became the piece’s title.” - Meryl Another central philosophy of this piece is what Brian Eno calls scenius—the collective form of genius that emerges when a community builds something greater than any one individual. It is as much about the relational ecosystem that allows art to take shape as it is about the finished object. From the conception of this piece, our community held us. My beautiful Treasure Trevor connected me with Pushan Panda to make the mold. Meryl’s teacher Bill Concannan provided tips on the under-documented process of filling tubes with krypton gas. Andrew kept me fed and inspired and alive. Even my mailman, Drew, checked on my progress nearly daily as I worked in my garage studio. I’ve written more on Substack (link in bio)

⭐️Skylight Above Spotlight⭐️ ATRIUM is excited to welcome @shebendsneon to ATRIUM 2026 as a part of Skylight Above, a special exhibit of artist-run spaces. This San Francisco based neon organization and teaching studio will be showing the works of @kelsey.issel23 , Ames Palms @rebel.neon , and @merylpataky . #skylightabove2026 @minnesotastreetproject announces ATRIUM, a new free alternative art fair showcasing the best emerging and underground contemporary art galleries in the Bay Area, alongside long-standing Bay Area galleries. Taking place January, 22-25, 2026 during SF Art Week, ATRIUM brings together 20+ galleries presenting focused selections from their programs-plus SKYLIGHT ABOVE, an upstairs exhibition of artist-run spaces. The Opening Reception will take place Thursday, January 22, 6-9pm and the fair will continue through Sunday January 25. RSVP for all dates at the link in bio!

Corning Glass Fam! Meryl and Kelsey will be heading your way at the end of March. Installing True Gravity at the @rockwellmuseum which will be up until March 2027 AND a hot shop residency @corningmuseum and the @rakowlibrary ❤️‍🔥📓 True Gravity is a suspended neon sculpture shaped through a process of heating glass and allowing gravity to guide the form over a hand-made mold. Loosely arranged in a layered, net-like canopy, the form pulls from the structural language of open-weave textiles. The piece will be made by Kelsey Issel under the collaborative mentorship of Meryl Pataky. Their shared practice explores their bodys’ knowledge, the material’s behavior, and the teachings that pass between them. Inspired by Michael Murphy’s idea of “true gravity” in Golf in the Kingdom—a condition he describes as joining forces with what the environment and material already intend. Follow along to see progress on mold bending! Thank you to @rockwellmuseum and @corningmuseum for providing this opportunity and support to artists ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

“Quilt,” 2024 scrap glass, noble gases, test leads A She Bends site-specific hanging installation made from scrap glass collected during residencies in Philly, Seattle, and L.A. The final works from these residencies and this piece are part of Neon as Soulcraft at the Museum of Craft and Design SF, on view until November 24, 2024. Each piece of scrap glass is an artifact of learning and discovery in neon. These fragments come from inclusive, safe spaces where diverse artists are pushing neon’s evolution in real time. This installation honors this movement—celebrating how new voices are pushing the conceptual and technical boundaries of this medium and redefining what’s possible. First in this new body of work. Installation artist collab @kelsey.issel23 + @merylpataky Residency artists Victoria Ahmadizadeh Melendez (PA) @internet___angel Christen Baker (PA) @christenbaker_ Leticia Maldonado (LA) @leticiamaria Mayra Zambrano (LA) @mayras_artique Dani Kaes (WA) @dani.kaes Melissa Jean Goldberg (WA) @mgolberg_art Thank you to @museumofcraftanddesign for your support of this installation and exhibition and exhibition sponsors @kqed @sanfrancisco.magazine Maxwell Hanrahan Foundation @gabyscotts @michaelambrosewalsh @cadogantate Studio Hinrichs

“The Art of Neon” by Gaby Scott “A short doc film about the art of neon light. Featuring neon artists Meryl Pataky @merylpataky and Kelsey Issel @kelsey.issel23 from SheBends Organization. She Bends is a women led neon art organization supporting women and queer artists through curatorial projects and artist residencies. Through public education and exhibitions they advocate for a sustainable evolution of neon and its acceptance into the “high” art. Director – Gaby Scott @gabyscotts ve
Cinematographer – Lawrence Rickford @lawrencerickford “ Made with the generous support of @museumofcraftanddesign for “She Bends: Neon as Soulcraft” exhibition, on view at the museum until November 24, 2024. So amazing to see this process captured by such a beautiful artist. ❤️‍🔥👽 Exhibiting & residency artists: Victoria Ahmadizadeh Melendez @internet___angel Christen Baker @christenbaker_ Leticia Maldonado @leticiamaria Mayra Zambrano @mayras_artique Dani Kaes @dani.kaes Melissa Jean Golberg @mgolberg_art Thank you to media partners KQED @kqedarts San Francisco Magazine @sanfrancisco.magazine

VESSEL Excerpt at LNB Atelier, including artwork by Meryl Pataky, captured on film by fellow VESSEL artist @stephpannn . @vesselgroupshow @merylpataky @anand.g.sheth @lynettenicolebetancur #vesselgroupshow #studioanandsheth #storefrontanandsheth #merylpataky

Join us tonight at LNB Atelier for a reception and panel discussion featuring VESSEL artists. Don’t count on parking due to the nearby Giants game tonight! 238 King Street, 6pm-9pm, Thursday 9/12 @vesselgroupshow @lynettenicolebetancur @merylpataky @cctvsuperstar @studiobeckycarter @ceciliamignon @gradientmatter @anand.g.sheth #vesselgroupshow #studioanandsheth #storefrontanandsheth 📹: @nicholasvruiz

I like summer now.

Happy Saturday San Francisco! Start your weekend off by exploring MCD’s newest exhibition, “She Bends: Neon as Soulcraft” ⚡️⁠ ⁠ Guest-curated by Kelsey Issel (@kelsey.issel23 ) and Meryl Pataky (@merylpataky ) of She Bends (@shebendsneon ), “Neon as Soulcraft,” focuses on the process and art of neon bending. Visitors can experience brand new artworks spanning textural, gestural, and three-dimensional work in neon that were crafted during three student-teacher residencies in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.⁠ ⁠ Reserve your tickets to “Neon as Soulcraft” today by tapping the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠Participating residency and exhibition artists: Seattle: Dani Kaes @dani.kaes (teacher) Melissa Jean Golberg @mgolberg_art (student) Los Angeles: Leticia Maldonado @leticiamaria (teacher) Mayra Zambrano @mayras_artique (student) Philadelphia: Victoria Ahmadizadeh Melendez @internet___angel (teacher) Christen Baker @christenbaker_ (student) #Neon #NeonAsSoulcraft #Museum #Craft #Design #MuseumofCraftandDesign #SanFrancisco #Glass #GlassArt #NeonLights #NeonArt #Glow #GlowUp #Opening #Preview #OpeningWeekend #Exhibition #SFArt #BayArea [Video Description: Clips of visitors exploring “Neon as Soulcraft” during MCD’s Member Preview Night]

We've been calling this "the marquee sign", the title wall for the exhibition SHE BENDS: NEON AS SOULCRAFT at The Museum of Craft and Design, SF. Kelsey, my other half in our project, She Bends, bent all the glass for this sign in my studio as an "unofficial" 4th residency that served as her deeper dive into bending. I was honored to assist! This was also an illuminating experience to look at neon pedagogy through the lens of Kelsey's unique and non-traditional relationship with neon: finding herself intimately practicing the haptic skills after many years of obtaining cerebral knowledge about the material from benders. I'll post more about the process soon. . @museumofcraftanddesign @kelsey.issel23 @shebendsneon