A LOOK BACK
2019
NEON
SPEAKS
Thanks to all the speakers, sponsors, everyone who attended this first annual Neon Speaks Festival & Symposium! Many thanks for the grants awarded by San Francisco Heritage Alice Ross Carey Preservation Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Matching Grant Fund. Thanks also to our generous sponsors: Art Deco Society of California, SacMod, PAC*SJ, Mission Pie, BiRite Market, Arrow Sign Co, American Sign Museum, Forbidden Island, and. Thanks to the hosts of five great venues: the Tenderloin Museum, the Verdi Club, the Great American Music Hall, Peterson Neon, and Neon Works Oakland.
SCHEDULE 2019
Photo: Dydia DeLyser
NEON CURIOSITY LOUNGE, TENDERLOIN MUSEUM, SF
1–4 PM Friday April 26 2019
Part art exhibit, part makers fair, part science project. Drop in to see amazing neon artifacts, old signs,neon ephemera, and working models presented by a roomful of neon experts. Satisfy your neon curiosity! Bonus: Will Durham will be displaying Reno’s famous neon “M” of the Mapes Hotel cowboys, plus other neon signs the he has preserved via the Nevada Neon Project. Have your photo taken with the Mapes cowboys!
Images: Letterform Archive
LETTERFORM ARCHIVE TOUR, SF
4:30-6pm Friday April 26,2019 SOLD OUT
with Kate Widdows and Letterform Archive Guides
A special curated tour of the Letterform Archive’s stacks for anyone fascinated by the history of lettering and signage. Book early, space is limited. San Francisco.
Photo: Al Barna
OPENING RECEPTION AND SYMPOSIUM, VERDI CLUB, SF
6:00–9:30 PM Friday April 26 2019
Join us for food, cocktails, and neon at the historic Verdi Club in San Francisco. This evening’s speakers are Corky Scholl/Save the Signs Denver, Eric Lynxwiler/MONA Glendale, John Law/Sign Man Oakland, and Tracey Sprague/Neon Museum Las Vegas. Followed by a screening of “NEON”, a documentary film on Polish Cold War neon by Eric Bednarski.
SATURDAY SYMPOSIUM
GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL, SF
10 AM–3:30 PM Saturday April 27 sold out
This will be a day-long informal and spirited event with presentations and panel discussions, complete with breakfast, lunch, and dessert included in the ticket price. A rare gathering of champions who are on the front line of the neon preservation movement.
Photo: Peterson Neon
THE ART OF NEON, OAKLAND
Noon-4pm Sunday April 28, 2019 SOLD OUT
Peterson Neon, Oakland with Shawna Peterson.
What does it take to create a work of art fabricated from neon-filled glass tubes? Watch it happen with neon artist/tube-bender deluxe, Shawna Peterson plus special guests. An ongoing afternoon event with timed tickets for an hour-long demo. With guest artist Laura Stevenson.
Photo: Al Barna
NEON WORKS SHOP TOUR/DEMO, OAKLAND
Sunday, April 28, 2019 1 PM and 2 PM Tours. SOLD OUT
With Jim Rizzo and Amy Palms—back by popular demand. If you missed this shop tour last year, here is your second chance! Jim Rizzo of Neon Works in Oakland has been rescuing and restoring Bay Area neon signs for decades and he only opens his shop for tours once in a blue moon. This is your chance to see his vintage neon collection and experience how neon, glass, and fire combine to make glowing art. Jim is a master sign-maker and he’s letting us into his 17,000-square-foot workshop to explore the art and craft of neon signs. This tour sold out last year.
ALAMEDA NEON WALKING TOUR, ALAMEDA
Sunday April 28 2019 . 7 PM and 7:15 PM Tours. SOLD OUT
Take a twilight walking tour of the beautiful neon signs in the historic city of Alameda. From the grandeur of the Alameda Theater neon blade sign to the nearly invisible Pop Inn, downtown Alameda boasts a fine collection of vintage neon. This tour winds through a quiet bungalow neighborhood and the commercial corridors of Alameda. Space is limited. With Devi L. Dahl, Eric Lynxwiler, Al Barna, and Randall Ann Homan.
2019 PARTICIPANTS
EMCEES/MODERATORS
Tod Swormstedt, American Sign Museum, Cincinnati OH
Eric Lynxwiler, Museum of Neon Art, Glendale CA
SYMPOSIUM PRESENTERS
Jude & Monica Cook, Ignite Sign Museum, Tucson, AZ
Heather David, San Jose Signs Project, San Jose, CA
Will Durham, Nevada Neon Project, Reno, NV
Dydia DeLyser & Paul Greenstein, Los Angeles, CA
Tom Rinaldi, New York Neon book, New York, NY
John Law, Central Services, San Francisco, CA
Debra Jane Seltzer, RoadsideArchitecture.com
Tracey Sprague, The Neon Museum, Las Vegas, NV
SPOTLIGHT SPEAKERS
Susan Bregman, New England Neon, Boston MA
Derek McDonald, Golden West Signs Arts, Reno NV
Corky Scholl, Save the Signs, Denve, CO
Steve Spiegel and Will Hansen, Signs United, Los Angeles CA
Kate Widdows, Electric Letterland, Portland OR
NEON CURIOSITY LOUNGE EXHIBITORS
Al Barna, San Francisco Neon, San Francisco CA
Bill Concannon, Aargon Neon, Crockett, CA
Heather David, San Jose Signs Project, San Jose, CA
Dydia DeLyser & Paul Greenstein, Los Angeles, CA
Will Durham, Nevada Neon Project, Reno, NV
Greg King and Shawna Peterson, Oakland, CA
Roxy Rose Score, Los Angeles, CA
Bruce Suba, Suba Neon, Santa Cruz, CA
Tod Swormstedt, American Sign Museum, Cincinnati OH
HOSTS/CO-PRODUCERS
Neon Speaks Festival and Symposium co-founders/producers:
Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan, SF Neon.
Co-Producer: Kate Widdows, PDX Neon
ADVISORS
Katie Conry, Therese Poletti, Allen Sawyer, and Jim Van Buskirk
2019 GRANTS
San Francisco Neon produces neon walking tours, events, talks, exhibitions, and the Neon Speaks Festival and Symposium, fiscally sponsored by the Tenderloin Museum of San Francisco. The San Francisco Heritage generously provided a grant from the Alice Ross Carey Preservation Fund. A matching grant was generously provided by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
2019 SPONSORS
Here at Neon Speaks, we are grateful to our generous sponsors and supporters who encouraged us to create an opportunity to celebrate historic neon signs. Others have shown their support by donating and promoting Neon Speaks events on social media and other channels.
Interested in becoming a sponsor or supporter? Let’s talk!
Novial Gold Level
Novial Gold is our highest level of sponsorship! Sponsorships by the American Sign Museum, and by the Art Deco Society of California in memory of their founder Michael Crowe.
Ruby Red Level
Sponsorships by Neon Works Oakland, and Great American Music Hall.
Cobalt Blue Level
Sponsorships by neon fans Charles Chapman and Annette Smith, the Verdi Club, and San Francisco Neon.
Emerald Green Level
Sponsorships by neon fan Sandra Price, Mission Pie, Forbidden Island Lounge, Arrow Sign Company, Preservation Action Council of San Jose, Sacramento Modern, and Bi-Rite Markets
