Hello Lightning Tamers,
I’m reaching out to share some exciting news and ask for your support. Lightwriters Neon, a family-run neon studio, is on a mission to expand their operations and bring the art of neon to the vibrant city of Chicago. They’re currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for this expansion, which includes creating a new community art space and offering regular classes in neon craftsmanship. By supporting their Kickstarter campaign and sharing it with your network, you’ll help Lightwriters Neon realize their vision of making neon art accessible to all. Let’s join forces to illuminate Chicago’s creative landscape with the timeless glow of neon art.
Together, we can make a difference and support this inspiring initiative. Thank you for your consideration and support!
-Percy Echols II, Taming Lightning
Story
Lightwriters Neon is excited to open a new branch of its operations in the city of Chicago in 2024 that celebrates and fabricates luminous glass artwork. The new studio is being created to introduce Chicago to an experience not currently available in our region – regular classes in the craft of neon, open to the public! We’ll also have gallery space for community engagement as well as bench rental for experienced students and the larger neon community, while continuing to produce custom artwork created by the owners and employees. The funds raised from this Kickstarter will help provide working capital to build out the Workshop and make it ready for classes later this year.
Class offerings will include “taster” and immersive one-day courses as well as multi-week, in-depth instruction for neon enthusiasts and seasoned artists. Gallery and boutique showcases will offer staff and students opportunities for art sales and exposure. Chicago is already home to a range of beginner- and intermediate-friendly craft classes in mediums as diverse as rug tufting, welding, shoemaking, and more, so we’re certain the time for a creative space for neon art to be added to the community has come. The niche we will fill is already alive and well in cities across the United States, and now it is Chicago’s turn to glow!
Since 1977 Jacob and Petrie Fishman have operated Lightwriters Neon in the Chicagoland area as a workshop dedicated to creating and preserving the art of neon. Working artists in their own right, they have spent close to 50 years as fabricators and educators, for everything from commercial signage to museum and private collection conservation. As the landscape of the neon industry has shifted from a primarily commercially-used conveyor of communication to a bona fide fine art medium, so has the outlook of Lightwriters.
Continuing the family business, Jacob and Petrie’s daughter Zoelle Nagib and her partner Ali are excited to bring the art of neon to new audiences, while upholding the quality of service to existing clients. Lightwriters Neon Workshop Chicago will be a public facing art space, featuring education and history as well as a community outlet for artists to gather and display artwork.
Feel free to share, comment, and subscribe. and I’ll See you next time.
