A Neon Residency Opens for Indigenous Artists in Kingston

May 22. Sarah Rowe is the first artist selected for Native Neon, a residency program launching in Kingston, New York. The program is a collaboration between the Walker Youngbird Foundation, a Native-led nonprofit, and Lite Brite Neon Studio, a fabrication shop in the Hudson Valley.

The residency has a narrow brief: Indigenous artists who have never worked with neon. Rowe, a multimedia artist, will spend time at Lite Brite learning the craft and producing new work. The residency covers materials, studio time, and fabrication support.

Neon as a medium has had a quiet moment in contemporary art over the past five years. Gallery shows lean toward text-based pieces, single-color tubes, installations that read minimalist but glow loud. This residency shifts the access point. Instead of requiring existing neon experience, it teaches the process from scratch.

The Walker Youngbird Foundation has been funding Indigenous artists since 2018, mostly through grants and material support. This is its first residency with a fabrication partner. Lite Brite Neon Studio, which has been operating in Kingston since 2012, typically works with commercial clients and occasional gallery commissions. The pairing makes sense: one side has the community network, the other has the torches and the glass.

Rowe's work to date has included beadwork, video, and installation. Adding neon to that list will be the test case. If the residency works, more slots will open in 2027. For now, it's one artist, one studio, and a medium that requires steady hands and patience with heat.