Art By Stella Chang

10/18/2026

Last week, GlassRoots Newark opened its exhibition. I was sorry to miss it because I wasn’t feeling well, but grateful to have this piece selected by juror .

When I created it, I knew almost nothing about glassmaking. I was learning what glass could hold, what it could reveal, and how easily a face could fractured.

I’ve sometimes mistaken warmth for an invitation. Trusted an open door. Arrived as I am, carrying my complications, my curiosity, and a stubborn willingness to imagine beyond the limits in front of me.

Then the door closed.

This is my ugly, pretty face, smashed in. Still catching the light. Not everyone wants to look at it.

I keep wondering about the moment of impact. About what happens on either side of a door.

Who’s the victim?
Me, with the smashed face?
Or the one who closed the door?
。
。
。

09/23/2026

I was really hoping to join the Lupus Walk-a-Thon on October 4 at Nomahegan Park, but unfortunately, I’m sitting this one out. 💜

I’ve been dealing with chronic inflammation in my right foot for about a year, and naturally, the only appointment I could get for an injection is October 2. I think the Universe is conspiring.

And while we’re on the glamorous subject of my body falling apart, my right index finger has also been busted for years, and I’m still recovering from other medical adventures. Apparently, my body prefers the deluxe recovery package.

That’s the reality of lupus sometimes. It isn’t always one huge dramatic crisis. It’s a foot. A finger. A joint. My eyes. Fatigue. Pain. Procedures. Recovery. Then, just when one thing settles down, another body part decides it would like to be the star of the season.

I’m open about what I go through because I believe sharing these experiences is part of raising awareness. So much of lupus is invisible, and if talking honestly about it helps someone understand the disease a little better, I’ll keep talking.

And just to be clear, I’m not fundraising for myself. I’m raising money to support lupus research, education, advocacy, patient support, and the people who will unfortunately have to navigate this disease after me.

Although, if anyone wants to volunteer to pay my roughly $1,000/month infusion bill after insurance...DM ME.
Jokes aside, I may not physically walk on October 4, but I’m still very much part of this walk.

Even $5 or $10 helps. Whatever rocks your boat. 💜 And if donating isn’t possible, sharing this post means just as much.
Special shoutout to Ellen Anje for making the very first donation and officially getting this fundraising train out of the station! 🚂💜

Donate: http://support.lupus.org/goto/stellachang

A Thousand Faces painting yeah thats what lupus is known for.

Watercolor on 30” H x 60” Yupo paper

09/18/2026

First day at GlassRoots and I decided to play with FIRE! 🔥 Quite literally. 😂

I’m honored to be selected as a Teaching Resident Artist at GlassRoots this semester. I’m here to share what I know about design, developing concepts, building cohesive collections, and pretty much everything I picked up from fashion. But I’m really learning just as much from the incredible staff and students here.

That’s Robert Panepinto demonstrating in the Hot Shop 🔥 Not gonna lie, THAT MUCH HEAT is pretty intimidating, but watching molten glass take shape is absolutely mesmerizing.

Hot shop baby! Totally outside of my comfort zone.

And working with young people? FUN. Although I remain firmly in denial that I’m technically old enough to be some of their mom. 😂 We’re not discussing that part.

Here’s to a semester of making, teaching, learning, and just being incredibly humbled and grateful. 🔥😆

09/16/2026

Holy crap! I found these photos from 2012-2013. Dang I was young and yes, most of my fashion jobs required us to wear only black, white, and neutral.

09/09/2026

It’s really happening now 👇thank you GlassRoots Newark for everything!

Happy Back-to-School Week, Newark!

GlassRoots is proud to announce contemporary artist, Stella Chang, as this year's Teaching-Artist-in-Residence (TAR)! Chang will lead the Youth Entrepreneurial Spirit (Y.E.S.) Program for high school students interested in running a creative business.

Chang's work explores identity, memory and resilience. Born in San Jose, California, Chang was raised between the United States, Taiwan and Canada. She works with painting, digital and mixed-media across several unconventional surfaces including glass and aluminum.

Register for Y.E.S. and work with Stella this fall! https://hubs.la/Q04x2Lb10

09/09/2026

I’m painting fish today. Lots and lots of fish…

09/02/2026

Almost finished: the first two portraits from A Thousand Faces.

Lupus is known as the disease of a thousand faces because it rarely looks the same from one person to the next. I did not ask for this face of illness, but here we are.

Some people have even morally judged those of us who speak openly about lupus, as if raising awareness means exploiting our suffering.

I wish lupus were profitable. Perhaps then it could help pay the thousands of dollars in medical expenses it creates. My monthly infusion alone costs me more than $900, even with insurance, in case you ever wondered what survival costs.

This disease has silenced so many of us. It has taken me to places where death felt more merciful than another day of relentless pain.

And yet, I am still here.
Painting the faces lupus tries to hide.
Beginning with my own.

A Thousand Faces in watercolor on Yupo paper.
30” H x 60” W
Www.artbystellachang.com
。
。
。

08/27/2026

The second face of A Thousand Faces is coming through.
I think of her as someone whose body rarely gives her a day off. She has watched her life change without her consent: old certainties erased, aspirations gone, and entire chapters left unfinished. Some days, it feels as though her story is being written around her while she fades between the lines.
Perhaps hardest of all is being blamed for not getting better.
And yet, I see her in the small moments: the breath she takes, the hope she holds, and the quiet decision to begin again. Beneath the shadow, something in her remains tender and alive. She is unfinished and she will write her own ending.
Work in progress
Watercolor on Yupo paper
30” H x 60” W”
。
。
。

07/07/2026

I’m incredibly honored to share that I’ve been selected to join GlassRoots Newark as a Teaching Artist in their upcoming residency, every Thursday 4-6pm running from September 10 to December 17.

During this residency, I’ll have the privilege of working with young artists in Newark, guiding them through the process of painting on glass, and exploring creative expression through a luminous, layered medium.

And the funniest part? This all began with a chance conversation in the women’s bathroom during last year’s Newark Arts Festival. Truly, the arts community works in mysterious, magical, fluorescent-lit ways.

Thank you to Michelle, the director at Glass Roots for this opportunity and for their commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists. I’m so looking forward to contributing, learning, and creating something radiant together.
www.glassroots.org

07/04/2026

Happy July 4th!