Neon signs first lit up the streets of Paris in 1912, and throughout the twentieth century they’ve provided a magical and luxurious way to communicate information and sell products. But proliferation of LEDs—light emitting diodes— in the past several decades has had dramatic effects on the neon industry. And lit signs, which were once one-of-a-kind […]
Podcast: Carlos Eduardo Gacharná’s exit interview
For the past couple years, anyone even remotely engaged with the art world in Madison was bound to bump into artist, educator and activist Carlos Eduardo Gacharná at some point or another. Gacharná’s work harnesses techniques from glassblowing, neon, and ceramics with a beautiful fluidity and an uncanny grasp of texture. But he’s made just as […]
A personal version of a dead language
From early on in her career as an artist, Helen Lee has used the medium of glass to explore language and identity. If you walk past the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art at night, you might see three Mandarin Chinese characters blazing out at you in pink neon. That is one of Lee’s newest works, […]
