b. 1986, St. Louis, MO
Lives and works in Chicago, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Primordial Nucleosynthesis, Agnes Varis Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2023 Strokkur Geyser, The Fold, Chicago, IL
2022 Timelines + Thin Rothkos, Sentral, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Free Space!, Western Pole, Chicago, IL
2020 Chromatic Aberrations, Studio Kura, Fukuoka, JP
Video Log, Pluto Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Necessary Phenomenon, O’Project Space, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Hollow Boom, Rare Air Exhibition Space & Studio Program, Governors Island, NY
2017 Hyper Diffraction Works, Figment Festival, New York, NY
2016 The Splits, Budin, Brooklyn, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Ascendancy of Pop, Lightwriters, Chicago, IL
Connections, Glass Art Society, Arlington, TX
Empty Bottle Art Show, Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Printed Matter NY Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1, New York, NY
Art on Paper New York City, Pier 36, New York, NY
Multiple Formats Art Book Fair and Symposium, Boston University, Boston, MA
2024 Light Matter Film Festival, Alfred, NY
Staple + Stitch Art Book and Print Fair, Chicago, IL
Chromatic Voyages, Studio A1, Los Angeles, CA
Empty Bottle Art Show, Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Non-Plus Ultra Art Show 3, Non Plus Ultra, Los Angeles, CA
All Together Now, Studio A1, Los Angeles, CA
NY Art Book Fair, New York, NY
Art on Paper New York City, Pier 36, New York, NY
MoCCA Arts Fest, The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, New York, NY
Multiple Formats Art Book Fair and Symposium, Boston University, Boston, MA
2023 Redefining Neon Legacy, Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA
First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art, The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA
Northern Lights, View Art Center, Old Forge, NY
At the Wolford House, Wolford House, Pasadena, CA
Art on Paper New York City, Pier 36, New York, NY
Printed Matter LA Art Book Fair, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, CA
MoCCA Arts Fest, The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, New York, NY
Small Press Book Bazaar, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA
Multiple Formats Art Book Fair and Symposium, Boston University, Boston, MA
World of Winter, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
Empty Bottle Art Show, Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
2022 Non Plus Ultra Art Show 2, Non Plus Ultra, Los Angeles, CA
Small Press Book Bazaar, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA
2021 Torg Listamessa Reykjavík, Samband Íslenskra Myndlistarmanna, Korpúlfsstaðir, Iceland
Bright Line, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
Worldview: Anthropology of Eco-Vision, Fondazione Palmieri Renaissance Church of Saint Sebastian, Lecce, IT
2020 International Day of Light, The Holocenter, New York, NY
Art Woman Geo-Graphies, Fondazione Palmieri Renaissance Church of Saint Sebastian, Lecce, IT
Women in Neon, The Loveland Museum, Denver, CO
The Red Show, Happy Gallery, Chicago, IL
2019 Control Room, Other Places Art Fair, Los Angeles, CA
Borders, Haptic Lab, Brooklyn, NY
She Bends, Var West Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2018 Origins, O’ Project Space, Los Angeles, CA
She Bends, The Midway Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Artist Photonics, The Center for the Holographic Arts, New York, NY
2017 Women in Neon, Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, CA
Lumens, Glass Arts Society, Norfolk, VA
Last Chance, Glass House Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The Fridge Show, Grand Opening Gallery, Denver, CO
2014 Do Not Go Gentle, Youme Haus, Brooklyn, NY
Double Take, Youme Haus, Brooklyn, NY
2012 Just the Tip, SVA MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY
(Organized in collaboration with Mike Egan, co-founder of Ramekin Crucible gallery, New York, NY)
2009 Artist Run Chicago, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
Tie Dye Sky, Hungryman Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008 Feminist Ecology: Women and the Earth, Koehnline Museum of Art, Des Plaines, IL
Version Fest: NFO Expo, Viaduct Theater, Chicago IL
What Makes Sense, Cranky Yellow, St. Louis, MO
And Milk Comes Frozen Home, Revolving Door Gallery, Chicago, IL
Again and Again, Open End Gallery, Chicago, IL
ARTIST RESIDENCIES, GRANTS & AWARDS
2026 Artist in Residence at The Studio of Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
2025 Museum of Glass Sheldon Levin Memorial Visiting Artist in Residence, Tacoma, WA
School of the Art Institute of Chicago NTT Professional Development Award, Chicago, IL
2024 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Merit Program Award, Chicago, IL
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Service Award, Chicago, IL
Chroma Art Film Festival Honorable Mention, Miami, FL
2023 Corning Museum of Glass Rakow Research Library Commission, Corning, NY
Contemporary Jewish Museum Commission, San Francisco, CA
2022 Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award, Glendale, CA
The Downtown Grand Rapids Initiative Grant, Grand Rapids, MI
Inquiry Arts Grant in partnership with Michigan State University Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, East Lansing, MI
School of Visual Art RisoLAB Artist in Residence, Chelsea, NY
She Bends Neon Artist in Residence, Los Angeles, CA
Kala Art Institute Artist in Residence, Berkeley, CA
Understanding Holograms: From Lasers to Light Fields with Linda Law Scholarship, Hudson Valley, NY
Finalist, The Neon Museum Las Vegas Artist in Residence, Las Vegas, NV
2021 SÍM Association of Icelandic Artists Artist in Residence, Reykjavik, IS
AGALAB Artist in Residence, Amsterdam, NL
2020 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Faculty Enrichment Grant, Chicago, IL
Studio Kura Artist in Residence, Fukuoka, JP
Finalist, Zion National Park Artist in Residence, Springdale, UT
2019 Western Neon School of Art Visiting Artist in Residence, Seattle, WA
Pulse Laser Holography Artist in Residence, Ohio State University Dept. of Art & Dept. of Physics, Columbus, OH
O’ Project Space Artist in Residence, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Light Artist in Residence, The Center for Holographic Arts, Governors Island, NY
2009 Chicago Parks District Athletic Field Park Ceramics Studio Keyholder Artist in Residence, Chicago, IL
LECTURES
2025 Art Institute of Chicago Presenter & Conservation Workshop Neon Specialist, “The Persistent Glow: Conservation of Neon Artwork Workshop and Symposium,” Chicago, IL
Glass Arts Society Conference Presenter, “Expanded Print Media for the Lab,” Arlington, TX
2024 Corning Museum of Glass Rakow Research Library Artist Lecture & Acquisition, “Neon Primer Ennion Event,” Corning, NY
Buchstaben Museum Artist Lecture & Demonstration, “Neon Art & the Expansion of Materiality,” Berlin, DE
2023 Pratt Institute Foundations Lab Art and Science Lecture Series Artist Lecture, “New Elements, New Phases of Matter, and New Colors,” Brooklyn, NY
2021 DeYoung Museum/Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco Panel Discussion, “A Film and Conversation with the Women of Neon,” San Francisco, CA
The Museum of Neon Art Artist Lecture, “Out of the Fire Artist Talk with Kacie Lees,” Los Angles, CA
SÍM Association of Icelandic Artists Artist Lecture, Reykjavik, IS
AGALAB Artist Lecture, Amsterdam, NL
2020 Studio Kura Artist Lecture, Fukuoka, JP
PUBLICATIONS
2025 Guidelines: The Conservation of Neon Artworks contributing Illustrator, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, CA
2021-23 Neon Primer: A Handbook on Light Construction (Plazma Press, NY):
Special Edition 2023, color screen printed and spiral-bound, 206 pages
Second Edition 2022, color paperback, 172 pages
First Edition 2021, color screen printed and spiral-bound, 200 pages
2020 We Love Neon, Volume 2, Ventex Technology, pp. 8-9
2019 Rare Air Exhibition Space Season I: Neon catalog, color perfect bound paperback, 136 pages
2018 Rare Air Exhibition Space Season II: Green Screen catalog, color perfect bound paperback, 192 pages
PLASMA 4: Interplanetary Art & Science Magazine, Diana Wehmeier. 2018
2015 Reader’s Digest, lead image for “Good Cops, Bad Cops,” September 2015, pp. 20-21
PRESS
2025 New Glass Review 45, Corning Museum of Glass, 2025, Corning, NY
The Glass Art Society Conference Journal 2025, The Glass Art Society, Seattle, WA
Jon Spayde, “A Neon Renaissance,” American Craft, Spring 2025, February 14
2024 Hugh McHarg, “Rakow Research Library Commissions a Contemporary Rare Book,” Gather Magazine, Issue 43 Winter 2024, pp. 18-19
Percy Echols, Taming Lightning Interview, March 14
Sarah Hotchkiss, “The CJM’s ‘First Light’ Is a Glowing Celebration of Unpredictable Elements,” KQED, January 30
Lane Sell, The Aiglet, Shoestring Press, Volume 1-12, January-December 2024
2023 Morgan Laurens, “Kacie Lees: Neon’s Rising Star,” Not Real Artist Interview, October 2, 2023
Jessie Hendricks, “What is Neon Art and How Do You Conserve It?,” Becoming Artsy, The Getty Center, October 19
“Kacie Lees on 'Neon Primer: A Handbook on Light Construction,’ ‘How to Hang Your Neon in Space,’ and ‘Ether,’” Museum of Glass Artist Blog, February 8, 2023
ABC7 Localish feature on the Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, CA, December 3, 2023
Julie Zigoris, “Embrace Hanukkah Through the Glow of Neon at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum,”The San Francisco Standard, December 25, 2023
Gayle Clemans, “She Bends: Redefining Neon Legacy, Museum of Glass,” Glass Quarterly, Issue 171, Summer 2023
Destiny Valencia, "Immerse yourself in neon at She Bends: Redefining Neon Legacy,” The Tacoma Ledger, March 6
Craig Sailor, “She Bends brings female artists and their glowing, gas-filled work to Museum of Glass,” The News Tribune, February 12. 2023
2022 Ray, Debika, “A Light Touch,” Crafts, Issue 292: Ways of Seeing, January/February 2022
Kristopher Gee, Interview, “Kacie Lees bends light as Sentral DTLA’s first artist-in-residence,” Spectrum News, Los Angeles, CA, April 26, 2022
Pauline Adamek, “Neon in DTLA - Sentral’s AIR,” Arts Beat LA, April 2022
Sydney Cummings, Interview, “Kacie Lees: She Bends,” Abitech Industrial Electrical and Signage Supplier, April 5
2019 She Bends: Women in Neon Heads To Milwaukee's Var West Gallery,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture, February 1, 2019
Lani Trock, "Kacie Lees presents Necessary Phenomenon @ O' Project Space in Los Angeles," Autre Love, April 4
2018 "She Bends: Women in Neon" Comes to San Francisco!,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture, April 7, 2018
“Spontaneity & Inspiration | Interview with Neon Artist Kacie Lees” Mondo Neon Podcast, December 21, 2018
2017 Meryl Pataky, Interview, ”Introducing Kacie Lees, 'Fire Lust is Real’,” Maker Crush, August 7, 2017
"She Bends: Female Artists Working in Neon,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture, September 8, 2017
Beatrice Barkholz, "Neon Sculptures Illuminate Animals on the Verge of Extinction” Vice, July 2, 2017
Lila Thulin, “Grand Opening, a DIY Living-Room Gallery, Hosts The Fridge Show Saturday” Westword, June 30, 2017
COLLECTIONS
AGALAB Archive, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Alfred University Scholes Library, Alfred, NY
Corning Museum of Glass Rakow Research Library, Corning, NY
Flaxman Library, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection and Archive, Chicago, IL
Kala Art Institute Archive, Berkeley, CA
Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA
Museum of Neon Art, Glendale, CA
Pratt Institute Foundations Lab Research Library, Brooklyn, NY
UrbanGlass Research Library, Brooklyn, NY
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2026 Pilchuck Glass School Visiting Instructor, Stanwood, WA
2026-18 SAIC Art & Technology/Sound Practices Part-time Faculty, Chicago, IL
2025-23 New York University Instructor, Brooklyn, NY
2025-16 Masterpiece International Art Fairs Division Neon Specialist, Global
2026-16 Museum of Neon Art Instructor, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Brooklyn Tech High School Instructor, UrbanGlass, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Western Neon School of Art Instructor, Seattle, WA
2017-16 Evan Holloway Studio Assistant, Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2012 MFA in Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2008 BFA in Studio Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
CONTACT
Email kacielees@gmail.com
Website kacielees.com
IG @kacielees