{{short description|Australian artist (born 1992)}} {{use Australian English|date=November 2022}} {{use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Jess Bush | image = Jess Bush at Galaxy Con Richmond (55186268942) (cropped).jpg | alt = A candid bust photo of a young white woman, wearing a white tee; she has blonde hair, and is smiling to the camera's right | caption = Bush in March 2026 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|03|26|df=yes}} | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|model|visual artist}} | years_active = 2011–present<!-- derived from DOB + the 19 years cited in prose --> }}
'''Jess Bush''' (born 26 March 1992) is an Australian actor, model, reality television personality, and visual artist. Her television work includes competing on the seventh season of the reality television series ''Australia's Next Top Model'', and playing Nurse Christine Chapel on ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds''.
==Personal life== Jess Bush was born on 26 March 1992,<ref name="2023-03-26 Instagram" /> and is from Keperra, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia.<ref name="2011-10-19 North-West News" /> Speaking with ''The Daily Beast'' in mid-2023 about ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds''{{apostrophe}} LGBTQ+ representation and her portrayal of a bisexual character, she unhesitatingly described herself as queer.<ref name="2023-06-15 Daily Beast" />
==Visual arts career== A visual artist from childhood through her mid-20s,<ref name="2023-12-01 Redwire" /> Bush began selling her pieces professionally at age 19. She is also a jewellery designer, and some of her pieces appear on ''Strange New Worlds''.<ref name="2022-06-01 Brief Take" /> By mid-2017, Bush's studio was in Sydney's "infamous Hibernian House", she had returned from painting two commissioned murals in New York City,<ref name="2017-04-03 HuffPost" /> and had been a finalist for the 44th Muswellbrook Art Prize<ref name="2017-02-10 University of New South Wales" /><!-- for nom --><ref name="2017-03-12 Muswellbrook Chronicle" /><!-- for loss -->—New South Wales' second biggest art prize.<ref name="2017-04-03 HuffPost" />
===''Bee Totem''=== In 2019, Bush began developing and exhibiting her ongoing ''Bee Totem'' series. She collects dead honey bees from beekeepers, preserves them in spheres of crystal resin, and attaches fine jewellery chains. Her exhibitions collaborate with projection artists and sound designers to hang the many preserved bees at different heights to create shapes and experiences in three-dimensional space.<ref name="2022-06-01 Brief Take" />
She has described ''Bee Totem'' as recognizing and emphasizing the importance of the bees that, not only make the human world livable, but then "live by the thousands and die quietly by the thousands." The individual preserved bee in the sphere is amplified and magnified, showing its intelligence and beauty; it causes the observer to "pause and think about the moment that it died, because it's frozen in that moment after its death, so it's kind of like a memorial." The installation then amplifies "that impact of thousands dead at the same time".<ref name="2022-06-01 Brief Take" /><ref name="2022-06-09 Flaunt" />
Having received several rounds of funding from the Australian Government by 2022,<ref name="2022-06-09 Flaunt" /> Bush described it as "the most significant work that [she's] ever made" with a goal of doing so "probably forever". She would like to build a cathedral for thousands of preserved bees, to allow people to quietly sit and reflect in the immensity of sacrifice.<ref name="2022-06-01 Brief Take" /> While acting, Bush takes a hiatus from her visual art work, though she has taken her materials when shooting.<ref name="2022-06-14 Vanity Fair" />
==Performing arts career== thumb|alt=A bust photo of a young white woman, wearing a white blouse; she has blonde hair, and is facing the camera.|Bush in October 2011 Bush's first television appearance was<ref name="2022-06-14 Vanity Fair" /> competing on the seventh season of the reality TV series ''Australia's Next Top Model'';<ref name="2022-05-08 MovieWeb" /> she told the programme that she entered modeling for the challenge, competitiveness, travel, and variety.<ref name="ANTM bio" /> In Australia, she has also performed on ''Home and Away'' and ''Playing for Keeps''.<ref name="2022-06-09 Flaunt" />
In the early 2020s, Bush was "feeling pretty burnt out and exhausted by the hustle" of acting and performing; she told her talent managers that she was pulling back and resting, only interested in exciting productions, which led to her booking a role on ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds''.<ref name="2022-06-16 Hollywood Reporter" /> The 2022 ''Star Trek'' spin-off was her first television role outside Australia.<ref name="2022-06-09 Flaunt" /> Bush co-stars as Christine Chapel, a character previously played by Majel Barrett in the original ''Star Trek''. Heavy described Bush's interpretation of the character as "very different [...] fun, irreverent, and a bit of a live wire."<ref name="2022-04-30 Heavy" /> Bush eschews her native Australian accent for the performance, a distinction that helps her get into character physically and mentally.<ref name="2022-06-01 Brief Take" />
===Awards=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width: 100%;" !Award !Year !Nominated work !Category !Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- | rowspan=2 | Saturn Award | 2022 | rowspan=2 | ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' | Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series | rowspan=2 {{nominated}} | <ref name="2022-08-12 Deadline Hollywood" /><!-- for nomination --><ref name="2022-10-26 Collider" /><!-- for loss --> |- | 2024 | Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series | <ref name="2023-12-07 Deadline Hollywood" /><!-- for nomination --><ref name="2024-02-05 Screen Rant" /><!-- for loss --> |}
==Other professional work== Bush's work on ''Star Trek'' ignited a passion for the real-world space industry; by 2023, she was collaborating with NASA and Redwire at the Kennedy Space Center.<ref name="2023-12-01 Redwire" />
==References== <references>
<!-- dated sources sorted chronologically -->
<ref name="2011-10-19 North-West News">{{cite news |date=2011-10-19 |title=Jess plans to use Top Model experience |work=North-West News |language=en |location=Brisbane |page=30}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-02-10 University of New South Wales">{{cite web |date=2017-02-10 |location=Sydney |title=Finalists Announced 2017 Muswellbrook Art Prize |url=https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2017/02/finalists-announced-2017-muswellbrook-art-prize |language=en |publisher=University of New South Wales |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250718074820/https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2017/02/finalists-announced-2017-muswellbrook-art-prize |archive-date=2025-07-18 |access-date=2025-12-16}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-03-12 Muswellbrook Chronicle">{{cite news |last1=Hughes |first1=Betina |date=2017-03-12 |title=The 44th Muswellbrook Art Prize 2017 opening a success |url=https://www.muswellbrookchronicle.com.au/story/4523472/the-44th-muswellbrook-art-prize-photos/ |url-access=subscription |work=Muswellbrook Chronicle |language=en |issn=2201-5329 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250718074820/https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2017/02/finalists-announced-2017-muswellbrook-art-prize |archive-date=2025-07-18 |access-date=2025-12-16}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-04-03 HuffPost">{{cite news |last1=Verdouw |first1=Emily |date=2017-04-03 |title=Jess Bush: The Next Generation Of Australian Artist |url=https://www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/jess-bush-the-next-generation-of-australian-artist_au_5cd3acd4e4b0ce845d83b62e |work=HuffPost |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210210017/https://www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/jess-bush-the-next-generation-of-australian-artist_au_5cd3acd4e4b0ce845d83b62e |archive-date=2023-12-10 |access-date=2023-12-10 |quote=Things are looking good for the future of the Aussie art scene.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-04-30 Heavy">{{cite news |last1=Spelling |first1=Ian |date=2022-04-30 |title=Jess Bush is the New Nurse Chapel on 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' |url=https://heavy.com/entertainment/star-trek/jess-bush-new-nurse-chapel/ |url-status=live |language=en |publisher=Heavy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102200940/https://heavy.com/entertainment/star-trek/jess-bush-new-nurse-chapel/ |archive-date=2022-11-02 |access-date=2022-11-15}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-05-08 MovieWeb">{{cite news |last1=Kaplan |first1=Rebecca |date=2022-05-08 |title=Jess Bush Binged Star Trek: The Original Series for Strange New Worlds Role |url=https://movieweb.com/jess-bush-star-trek-the-original-series-nurse-chapel/ |url-status=live |language=en |publisher=MovieWeb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102200902/https://movieweb.com/jess-bush-star-trek-the-original-series-nurse-chapel/ |archive-date=2022-11-02 |access-date=2022-11-15 |quote=Jess Bush read as much as she could about Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and Nurse Chapel.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-06-01 Brief Take">{{cite interview |last=Bush |first=Jess |interviewer-first=Charles |interviewer-last=Trapunski |title=Star Trek: Strange New Worlds interview with Jess Bush on playing Christine Chapel |work=Brief Take |date=2022-06-01 |location=Toronto |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHTUk-rMbc |via=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723232211/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHTUk-rMbc |archive-date=2022-07-23 |access-date=2022-11-15}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-06-09 Flaunt">{{cite magazine |last1=Schulz |first1=Madeleine |date=2022-06-09 |title=Jess Bush {{pipe}} The 'Strange New Worlds' of Hollywood |url=https://archive.flaunt.com/content/jess-bush-strange-new-worlds |url-status=dead |magazine=Flaunt |language=en |issn=1523-5726 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115155656/https://archive.flaunt.com/content/jess-bush-strange-new-worlds |archive-date=2022-11-15 |access-date=2022-11-15}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-06-14 Vanity Fair">{{cite magazine |last1=Hoffman |first1=Jordan |author-link1=Jordan Hoffman |date=2022-06-14 |title=''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' Standout Jess Bush Is a Bit of a Mad Scientist |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/06/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-jess-bush-interview |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en |issn=0733-8899 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512011401/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/06/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-jess-bush-interview |archive-date=2023-05-12 |access-date=2023-06-12 |quote=The Australian actor on putting a new spin on a legacy character and smacking Spock.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-06-16 Hollywood Reporter">{{cite magazine |last1=Parker |first1=Ryan |date=2022-06-16 |title='Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Actress Jess Bush Talks Honor and Joy of Making Iconic Franchise Character Her Own |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-jess-bush-nurse-chapel-1235161759/ |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en |issn=0018-3660 |oclc=44653726 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723221312/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-jess-bush-nurse-chapel-1235161759/ |archive-date=2025-07-23 |access-date=2025-08-25 |quote=''The Hollywood Reporter'' caught up with the Nurse Chapel actress prior to this week's episode, 'The Serene Squall' to explore a number of topics, including how she was ready to take a step back in her career when the series serendipitously arrived.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-08-12 Deadline Hollywood">{{cite news |last1=Tinoco |first1=Armando |date=2022-08-12 |title=Saturn Awards Nominations: 'The Batman', 'Nightmare Alley', 'Spider-Man', 'Better Call Saul' Top List |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/saturn-awards-2022-nominations-list-movies-tv-1235089636/ |url-status=live |work=Deadline Hollywood |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018011312/https://deadline.com/2022/08/saturn-awards-2022-nominations-list-movies-tv-1235089636/ |archive-date=2022-10-18 |access-date=2022-11-15}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2022-10-26 Collider">{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/saturn-award-winners-2022-better-call-saul-top-gun-maverick/ |title=Saturn Award Winners Headlined By 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'Top Gun Maverick,' and 'Better Call Saul' |last=O'Rourke |first=Ryan |date=2022-10-26 |website=Collider |language=en |access-date=2022-11-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111164403/https://collider.com/saturn-award-winners-2022-better-call-saul-top-gun-maverick/ |archive-date=2022-11-11 |quote=Kathryn Leigh Scott, Julie Plec, and more were also given special awards.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2023-06-15 Daily Beast">{{cite news |last1=Ennis |first1=Dawn |date=2023-06-15 |title=The 'Star Trek' Cast on the Radical LGBT+ Representation of 'Strange New Worlds' |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-cast-on-its-radical-lgbt-portrayal |url-status=live |work=The Daily Beast |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625233603/https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-cast-on-its-radical-lgbt-portrayal |archive-date=2023-06-25 |access-date=2023-06-26 |quote=The out stars of 'Strange New Worlds' discuss what the show’s unapologetic depiction of queerness and gender means to them and the 'Star Trek' franchise's history of allyship.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2023-03-26 Instagram">{{cite Instagram |last=Bush |first=Jess |user=onejessa |postid=CqQ7jq0P6qy |date=2023-03-26 |title=Ringing in my 31st year with my parents in Ash Fork, Arizona. […] |language=en |location=Ash Fork, Arizona |access-date=2023-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/onejessa/3067213282138892978_3067212553467462972 |archive-date=2023-08-29}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2023-12-01 Redwire">{{citation |date=2023-12-01 |last1=Gold |first1=Mike |last2=Bush |first2=Jess |last3=Polk |first3=JD |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ6M9lWWrhg |title=Space Medicine and Art: A Chat with Star Trek's Jess Bush and NASA Chief Medical Officer J.D. Polk |publisher=Redwire |via=YouTube |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210171935/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ6M9lWWrhg |archive-date=2023-12-10 |access-date=2023-12-10}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2023-12-07 Deadline Hollywood">{{cite news |last1=Hipes |first1=Patrick |date=2023-12-06 |title='Avatar: The Way Of Water', 'Oppenheimer', 'Star Trek' Series Lead Nominations For Genre-Focused Saturn Awards |url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/saturn-awards-nominations-list-movies-tv-1235654052/ |url-status=live |work=Deadline Hollywood |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207141641/https://deadline.com/2023/12/saturn-awards-nominations-list-movies-tv-1235654052/ |archive-date=2023-12-07 |access-date=2023-12-10}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2024-02-05 Screen Rant">{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/everything-star-trek-won-saturn-awards-2024/ |title=Star Trek Wins Big At The 2024 Saturn Awards |last=Donaldson |first=Mark |date=2024-02-05 |website=Screen Rant |language=en |access-date=2024-03-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207182548/https://screenrant.com/everything-star-trek-won-saturn-awards-2024/ |archive-date=2024-02-07 |quote=The ''Star Trek'' franchise swept the board at the 51st Annual Saturn Awards, with some big wins for ''Picard'', ''Strange New Worlds'', and ''The Next Generation''.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
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<ref name="ANTM bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.fox8.tv/shows/australias-next-top-model/models/jess/bio |title=Jess – Bio |website=Australia's Next Top Model |language=en |access-date=2022-11-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005171341/http://www.fox8.tv/shows/australias-next-top-model/models/jess/bio |archive-date=2011-10-05}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
</references>
==Further reading== * {{cite magazine |last1=Bush |first1=Jess |date=2024-03-15 |title=Koons on the Moon? Artists' crucial role in shaping humanity's image on Earth and beyond |url=https://spacenews.com/koons-moon-artists-crucial-role-shaping-humanitys-image-earth-beyond/ |url-status=live |magazine=SpaceNews |language=en |issn=1046-6940 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20240316160357/https://spacenews.com/koons-moon-artists-crucial-role-shaping-humanitys-image-earth-beyond/ |archive-date=16 March 2024 |access-date=2024-03-16 }} * {{cite magazine |last1=Bush |first1=Jess |last2=Douglas |first2=Naeem |date=2024-03-19 |title=MoMA Mixtape: Monet's ''Water Lilies'' Knocks Jess Bush off Her Feet |url=https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1044 |url-status=live |magazine=Magazine |language=en |publisher=Museum of Modern Art |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321000624/https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1044 |archive-date=2024-03-21 |access-date=2024-03-21 |quote=The ''Star Trek'' actor gets physical pairing art and music.}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}} * {{Instagram}} * {{Commons category-inline}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Jess}} Category:1992 births Category:21st-century Australian actresses Category:21st-century Australian women artists Category:actresses from Brisbane Category:artists from Brisbane Category:Australia's Next Top Model contestants Category:Australian female models Category:Australian installation artists Category:Australian jewellery designers Category:Australian queer people Category:Australian television actresses Category:Australian women installation artists Category:living people Category:mixed-media artists Category:queer actresses Category:queer artists Category:queer models