Luminous Glow

/in /by

The Neon Landscapes of Kelsey Fernkopf & Photography by Steve Gilbert

July 11, 2026 – March 7, 2027

The Lightcatcher

As a light artist and master neon glass tube bender, Kelsey Fernkopf explores the materiality and expressive potential of luminous neon glass through large-scale sculptures and site-responsive installations.

Framing natural and architectural environments through line and color, Fernkopf investigates how light transforms our perceptions. In this new installation built for the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher gallery, Fernkopf composes an interior landscape that appears to shift as viewers move through the space. Each new perspective invites fresh reflection and meditative calm.

Also on view are images created in collaboration with photographer Steve Gilbert. They highlight Fernkopf’s temporary interventions in natural and urban settings, ephemeral studies of the balance between fragility and permanence, craft and concept, gesture and environment.

Originally from Kansas, Fernkopf earned a degree in sculpture but has made a living bending neon in sign shops around the Pacific Northwest since 1987. It was the closures of the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed him time and space to experiment and expand his art practice and push his neon sculptural work into new realms. He has worked with Tami Landis and the Corning Museum of Glass at the Seattle Art Fair, Foster/White Gallery in Seattle, and currently has works included in the group exhibition Haunted at the Tacoma Art Museum, through June 2026. His exhibition at the Whatcom Museum is his largest solo exhibition to date. When not working in his studio, Fernkopf can be found at Noble Neon.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Patti Imhof & Ashley Kimberley.

Middle Fork Chant, 2025, neon and composition by Kelsey Fernkopf, photo by Steve Gilbert, courtesy of the artists.
Gold Ventana Waterfall, 2025, neon and composition by Kelsey Fernkopf, photo by Steve Gilbert, courtesy of the artists.
The Blue Door, Middle Ground, 2025, neon and composition by Kelsey Fernkopf, photo by Steve Gilbert, courtesy of the artists.
The Whatcom Museum acknowledges that we gather on the traditional territory of the Lhaq’temish – Lummi People – and the Nuxwsá7aq – Nooksack People – who have lived in the Coast Salish region from time immemorial. The Museum honors our relationship with all of our Coast Salish neighbors and our shared responsibilities to their homeland where we all reside today.