Art By. Abraham Saikley - Spotlight
Zhencool a story
The name Zhencool is rooted in the Shijing, a 3,000-year-old Chinese poem describing the vibrant shine of new peach leaves catching the spring breeze. It represents vitality and brilliance, yet impermanent abundance. Cool is the kinetic breeze that activates those leaves and acknowledges that these moments are fleeting. Zhen (蓁) is also the name of its founder.
More about the story?
Zhencool is a catalyst for rural artists and cultural creators. We distribute responsive, targeted grants designed to capture and accelerate creative momentum. By providing critical financial support precisely when a project is ready to take off, we empower our local arts ecosystem to produce ambitious, meaningful work that enriches our region.
Our Team
Jane (Zhen) Valentine Hsu
FounderJane (she/her) b. 1977, Taipei is a cultural advocate, curator, and arts leader dedicated to elevating decentralized and rural voices. Early in her career, she risked house arrest in rural China as a juror of the Beijing Independent Film Festival, relocating a vital archive of censored independent documentary films to Columbia University. After serving in leadership roles at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and the Rubin Museum of Art, and led strategic initiatives for organizations like the New York Botanical Garden, Creative Capital, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the Center for Creative Photography.
Jane relocated to California’s Eastern Sierra in 2023. Across her practice, Jane leverages her extensive institutional expertise to ensure that rural and marginalized communities have the resources needed to build vibrant, resilient cultures. She is the founder of Zhencool, which provides essential grants to rural artists and curator of the “This is Temporary” exhibition series in Bishop. Jane is also the co-founder of SIGHT, an arts and culture initiative challenging the silence around modern deathcare. Jane holds a BFA from The Cooper Union, an MBA from Metropolitan College, and an MA in film studies from Columbia University.
August Kellman
August (they/them) grew up in San Diego, CA drawing in their diary. After high school, they moved to Illinois to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where they continued to study drawing and painting in more expansive, experimental contexts. Chicago also introduced August to art handling, and they left SAIC to work full time as a gallery preparator.
After COVID, August returned home to California and moved to Bishop in search of mountains. Here, they pivoted to attend flight school and now split their time between aviation and supporting the Eastside creative community. August continues to draw and occasionally shows work in local exhibitions.
Outside Zhencool, August also works for the Bishop/East Sierra Flying Club, serves on the Boards of Lone Pine EAA Chapter 1729 and the Friends of the Lone Pine Airport, and volunteers with the Pilot Mental Health Campaign.
The Zhencool logo was brought to life through a collaboration with designer Krystina Maixner, blending the quirky, hand-drawn lines of Nekojiru style manga with nostalgic nods to the classic Mac toaster era. To learn more, please visit Chalkfoxstudio.com.
Our logo was brought to life by:
Krystina Maixner Owner of Chalk Fox Studio