Why Mehitable Blish studios?

There is a story embedded in every object of a family’s collection. Every photo, video, piece of furniture, pocket watch, porcelain tea cup, spoon, flannel jacket, christmas letter, quilt, journal—every family artifact and work of art, tangible and intangible, carries a family’s legacy. 

Collections are transient and vulnerable without careful stewardship, especially in the digital age. Mehitable Blish Studios assists in curating family collections, capturing the stories, restoring and repurposing the artifacts to be enjoyed and cherished now, while providing collection succession planning for future generations.

who is mehitable blish?

Born June 15, 1711, in Barnstable, Massachusetts Bay, Mehitable married Benjamin Jenkins in 1730, and had nine children. She is the great, great, great grandmother to my great grandmother Louisa Stealey Jenkins, born February 14, 1874, in Vernon, New York. I’ve always found my family names mysterious and magical, so when my nephew, Ben, mentioned the name Mehitable Blish while visiting family in New Zealand in 2023, the name cast a spell on me. Mehitable in Hebrew means “God rejoices” and Blish is an Old English variant of the word “bliss.”

Mehitable Blish is the name I have chosen to lead a studio practice I have been conceptualizing for the past 20 years. I will serve as the studio’s founder and artist in residence but hope to be joined by many collaborators in this practice moving forward. Stay tuned for more about Mehitable Blish Studios in the near future. Until then, may your life be Mehitable and your days full of Blish.

Deborah Dudley, founder and artist in residence