Events

Is this a crazy idea?

Help give the Letterheads anniversary celebrations in June an international dimension...

Better Letters

Feb 6, 2025 • 3 min read

The original Letterheads first got to know each other at Jerry Albright's shop in Denver, Colorado. There will be more about Albright, and his influence on the Letterheads movement, in BLAG 07.

With news that Letterheads 50 sold out in just two days, I want to revisit an idea I had a year or two ago when the anniversary first crossed my mind.

You can tell me if it's crazy...

50 Mini Meets

The event at the American Sign Museum was capped at 350 guests — a big meet by any measure — but there are thousands of us worldwide.

What if, on the same weekend, there were folks meeting in sign shops/studios across the globe in a parallel series of small, local events?

There could even be 50 of these gatherings...

Remember: it all started with small meetings of apprentices in shops, so this would be a truly authentic way to celebrate five decades of the movement.

All it needs are volunteers to open their shop/studio doors and invite local Letterheads to connect, share, and spend time together for some/all of the weekend of 21–22 June.

Could that be you?

Or is there someone near you that could be pursuaded?

Letterheads is all about participation, and what better way to defeat the FOMO (fear of missing out) than to share the occasion with other likeminded people in your area? To join together for a weekend of embracing the spirit of the movement as a globally-connected community of people passionate about the craft?

If you're 'host curious', then this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for...

Risk Assessment

But, be warned: you might develop a habit. Here's serial host Mike Meyer on the experience of organising his first meet:

"The first meet I hosted was in 1992: a one day get together to pretty much put faces to names of sign painters in a 100 mile radius.

"I thought maybe five or six would show.

"We had about 25 turn up!

"I was hooked!"

Support Network

If you feel inspired to do something, then let me know: I'll be more than happy to pass on what I've learned from hosting meets, and the same is true of anyone else that has done the same. (There are details of past hosts in many of these event reviews.)

I can also list confirmed gatherings on the events page of bl.ag online, just like these: Letterheads per l’Horta in Almàssera, València, 1–4 May; Burds of the Brush in Berlin, 5–7 September; and Amsterdam Letterheads, Netherlands, 28–30 August 2026.

Crazy, or Not?

I'll let you decide, but here's what original Letterhead Mark Oatis replied with when I floated the idea with him:

"I do hope some satellite meetings ARE held. I wish I could attend every one."