Bring Back Tucson's Sign Museum After Its Devastating Fire

If, like me, you maintain a ‘bucket list’ of lettering locations around the world, then it may well include Tucson’s Ignite Sign Art Museum. Sadly, earlier this month, the Museum suffered a devastating fire that caused extensive damage and the destruction of hundreds of irreplaceable exhibits.

The Museum has launched a fundraising campaign to support its rebuilding work and I hope that you will lend your support. Sign museums are few and far between, so it is important that we retain those we are lucky to have, many of which are self-funded and volunteer-run.

Ignite, Jude Cook, and Tucson, Arizona

The Ignite Sign Art Museum was opened in 2018 by Jude Cook, owner of the city’s Cook & Company Sign Makers shop. He has been collecting signs, especially neon, for over 50 years, and the Museum is his way of sharing these, their stories, and their value with a wider public. (It also allowed him to consolidate his collection in a single location, rather than filling every available space at home, in the yard, and at the shop.)

In this video, Cook talks about how he got into the sign game, his observations on Tucson’s sign heritage, and why he was motivated to open the Museum.

As he says in the video, his preference is always to retain signs within communities, and that museums such as his should be a last resort. This conviction has resulted in him being very active locally, including collaborating on the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation’s Neon Sign Program. This involved the identification, protection, and restoration of many of the city’s most notable neon signs. These are documented in their publication, The Neon Pueblo, which includes a map to facilitate a self-guided tour.

In addition to that work in the field, the Museum itself is active in its own restoration projects, with Cook and a team of volunteers allocating Saturdays to carry these out in view of the visiting public. For those that have their passion ignited, the Museum also hosts hands-on tube bending workshops.

Time to Reignite

“As you lose them, you’re never gonna get them back” is how Cook sums up what happens when signs are removed/destroyed. Sadly this also rings true of everything that’s been lost as a result of the Museum’s recent fire.

However, Cook remains upbeat about the rebuilding project and, with your support, he and the Museum can get back to their core work of welcoming and entertaining visitors in the not-too-distant future.

PS. Sign Museums Around the World

The Ignite Sign Art Museum is one of eleven that we feature in the American Sign Museum book. Here are the other ten, so be sure to seek them out on your travels.

1. God’s Own Junkyard, London, UK. (See BLAG 02 for the junkyard's back story.)
2. Letreiro Galeria, Lisbon, Portugal. (Watch a film about the gallery here at bl.ag online.)
3. Museum of Neon Art, Glendale, California.
4. National Neon Sign Museum, The Dalles, Oregon.
5. Neon Museum Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada. (The Museum’s ‘Brilliant’ exhibit by Craig Winslow is profiled here at bl.ag online.)
6. Neon Museum of Saint Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
7. Neon Muzeum, Warsaw, Poland.
8. New York Sign Museum, Brooklyn, New York.
9. Old Signs of Amman Museum, Amman, Jordan. (The Museum was the ‘Lettering Location’ in BLAG 03.)
10. Schildermalermuseum, Vienna, Austria. (Check out photos from my 2016 visit and watch the short documentary film, When Better Letters Met Josef Samuel.)