Danielle ‘DJ’ James talks all things glass bending, from preserving it as an art form to her unique date night class
By Anna-Rhesa Versola | Photography by John Michael Simpson
Danielle “DJ” James pulls a long, slender tube of white glass from a box in her studio, Hex Neon, in the basement of The Fruit. Bits of glass on the cement floor crunch beneath the soles of DJ’s closed-toe shoes as she steps to her workstation to explain how to heat the glass over a perforated metal torch.
DJ, who creates authentic neon displays for commercial or private use, is a founding member of the Neon Makers Guild, a national network of roughly 70 artisans. She estimates about a dozen neon artists currently work in North Carolina. DJ earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from East Carolina University and began her art career first in jewelry design, then in metalsmithing and nonprofit administration before moving into the neon life in 2014. She opened her studio in 2020 and credits her survival to support from The Fruit and the community.
“Durham’s been really great to me,” DJ says. “I do stuff all over the Triangle and do restorations all over the Northeast and East Coast.” She says commercial demand for traditional neon seems lower than in the past but is becoming more popular as an art form increasingly sought out by collectors and museums. It’s a craft that’s at risk of disappearing from the cultural landscape; DJ says she helped create the Neon Makers Guild to save the art form, which began in 1920 and remains an iconic part of American cultural identity.
“We’re benders, not glassblowers,” DJ clarifies. Experienced benders know how to shape the glass to keep the tube open, allowing neon and argon gasses to flow through the entire work. “The glass gets really stressed out if you don’t treat it with a lot of respect,” she says. “… Every neon sign you see is made by a person. They haven’t figured out a way to automate this yet.”
Light Up Your Love
Couples have a chance to bathe in the glow of their very own handcrafted neon sign inside DJ’s studio. “It’s Julia Child style,” DJ says of the date night opportunities she offers, which last three-and-a-half hours at a cost of $500. DJ finds out what the couple is interested in creating two weeks before the date. The first hour covers an overview of neon history, science and manufacturing. The rest of the time is dedicated to assembly and finishing the project. “I make [parts] ahead of time so there’s no stress that you have to finish the thing in a really small amount of time, because this takes years to master,” she says. “Everybody does get into the fires a little bit, so they get the whole process. Then we light it up, and they can take it home.”
Glow On
DJ announced in late August that Hex Neon would move from its space in The Fruit to a larger studio in southwest Durham. “Moving to a larger facility will allow me to share my knowledge and passion for neon fabrication with a wider audience through larger and more varied classes at all expertise levels,” DJ shared on Instagram. “This expansion will also enable me to introduce more diverse and advanced apprenticeship programming, fostering the neon community and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with glass and noble gas.” She’s set up a GoFundMe page for anyone who would like to support her expansion.
