About
photo: Mario Gallucci courtesy of Chefas Projects
Jessie Weitzel Le Grand (b.1987) was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where she currently still lives and works. She holds a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and a MAT from Marylhurst University. Reimagining obsolete technological devices in fantastic and maximalist ways, Weitzel Le Grand’s sculptures call into question what we think we know about reality and how we interact with it.
Utilizing an eclectic array of materials ranging from ceramics to thermoplastic, flashe paint, and even items used in fishing fly creation, Weitzel Le Grand’s work blurs lines between art, artifact, and technology. Interested in exploring how we perceive reality and questioning the certainty of what we see, Weitzel Le Grand embeds natural elements - such as orchids, moths, or bits of coral - in computer motherboards and rotary dial phones in disorienting and overwhelming configurations. By fantasizing these nostalgic devices in playful and unfamiliar ways, she pushes those who encounter them to reconsider the functionality of her devices and encourages them to construct their own narratives around their possible uses.
Weitzel Le Grand’s work has been recently exhibited at Galerie Lefebvre & Fils (Paris, France), Outback Arthouse (Los Angeles, CA), Oregon Contemporary (Portland, OR), and with Lazy Oaf’s “Take A Break” (London, UK). She is a co-founder of carnation Contemporary, a collective of emerging and mid-career artists from the Pacific Northwest who champion critical and contemporary artwork, and Well Well Projects, an artist-member gallery situated in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. In 2025, Weitzel Le Grand was selected as a featured artist for Create!Magazine’s Issue #49. Weitzel Le Grand is currently represented by Chefas Projects.