Letterheads 50: 28 Days Later
A historic event at the American Sign Museum through the lens of photographer Natalie Grilli.
The four days of Letterheads 50 at the American Sign Museum were nothing short of epic. But the four weeks since have been filled with a post-meet blues that has come in waves, and at times made me question if the event ever actually happened.
The intensity of an experience like that takes time to process and recover from, and then the memories begin to solidify. Overwhelmingly good memories.
One of my big jobs since coming home has been finishing the American Sign Museum book. We'd left two spreads blank to profile the celebrations, and introducing them I wrote:
"This historic event for the Letterheads movement was a hive of activity — at any one time, there were multiple seminars taking place, murals being painted, and vendor stalls to visit, all while catching up with old friends and making new ones. Guests tried to soak up as much of the action as possible, in addition to taking in the Museum itself, and the resulting 450 unique experiences will live long in the memory."
The photographer for the book, Natalie Grilli, lives just a few blocks from the Museum, and was there capturing as much of the action as possible. Here's a look at things through her lens, with the following highlights taken from the vast official event gallery.
Launching BLAG 07
It was touch and go whether it would be ready in time, but boxes of the Letterheads special issue of BLAG arrived with two days to spare. Those at the meet were the first to see this bumper edition and its special cover wrap, a two-sided commemorative poster by Noel B. Weber.
BLAG 07 is now shipping to members around the world. Join today as a Blagger or a Printer to have this special issue delivered to wherever you are in the world. And look out for next week's post for a breakdown of what's inside.
Official Business
Mark Oatis and Noel B. Weber have remained heavily involved in the Letterheads movement since its beginnings in Denver, Colorado, 50 years ago. They were honoured for their tireless dedication to the craft and the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next.
Mark Oatis and Noel B. Weber on stage at the American Sign Museum. Each was presented with an extra-large ceremic tankard into which Letterheads placed sourvenir brushes. Pictured here is Tod Swormstedt, the American Sign Museum founder and event host, adding his contributions.
Also honoured was Kent Smith who passed away just weeks before the meet. His family unveiled a special plaque that now sits alongside his gilding for the Museum's Signs on Main Street exhibit.
Kent Smith's daughters, Audri (left) and Cassi, unveil the plaque beside his work on the Maisonette restaurant doors.
Following 'The Oath' delivered by Mark Oatis, there was a ceremonial passing of the mahl stick from Alex Kurakake, its recipient at Letterheads 40, to Asako Otaki. (There's a bit more on the mahl stick itself, and the symbolism of its passing, in the 'Tools of the Trade' section inside the Letterheads special issue of BLAG.)
Passing it on, from one generation to the next.
Alex also brought Doc Guthrie's LA Trade Tech shirt to present to Tod Swormstedt and the Museum.
Super Seminars
The official event programme was jam packed with seminar sessions, and there were always two or three running concurrently. This forced guests to make some tough (impossible?) choices, but ultimately no-one was disappointed with what they saw and heard from the brilliant cast of presenters.
Seminars covered topics including faux finishes, layout, gilding, truck lettering, pinstriping, poster design, and much much more.
Each seminar leader had their own 'Now Showing' showcard to publicise their session.
Just some of the seminars offering guests the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in their fields.
Panel Jamming
In the midst of it all, some folks managed to set up at the easels in the Museum's Gallery event space and paint panels, while others displayed those they'd produced in ahead of time.
Moments of calm in an ocean of overwhelm.
Mural Mayhem
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, teams were hard at work painting four murals. Three of these were for permanent display inside the Museum, with the designs adapted from vintage advertisements from the 1910s to the 1950s.
The fourth — 'Greetings from the Camp' — will be installed at the Museum's entrance. It is in the style of Grüße aus der region (Greetings from the Region) postcards from German-speaking parts of Europe that were popular in America from the 1930s–1950s. It features local landmarks from the Museum's Camp Washington home in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The murals were coordinated by Nancy Bennett in collaboration with the individual project leaders: Sonny Franks and Russell Kelly (Lincoln Motor Company), Joy Kjer (Butter-Nut Coffee), Dan Luckin (Texaco Motor Oil), and Noel B. Weber and Christine Brunk DeShazo (Greetings from the Camp).
Lunch Break
Each day, guests were treated to lunch, with the highlight being the three-, four-, or five-way chili from the award-winning Camp Washington Chili. Tables were set out in the Barn Room, with its authentic Mail Pouch Tobacco and See Rock City ghost signs as the backdrop.
Lining up for some Camp Washington Chili and enjoying a meal with new and old friends.
Stepping Out
Cincinnati was sweltering in a heatwave during the event, but many braved the outdoors to get involved with the projects located in the parking lot. These included decorating one of the Museum's dumpsters (a tradition that started back at Letterheads 40) and signing the specially prepared mural-style guestbook.
The Museum's waste management firm has carried out repairs on the dumpster that was decorated during Letterheads 40, rather than disposing of it. Now they'll have to decide if they prefer that one or the freshly painted Letterheads 50 edition.
Jim Oskam prepared the wall with the official Letterheads 50 artwork by David Butler and a light finish on the surrounding bricks for everyone to sign.
The Power of Print
Back inside, and tucked away in the Museum's repair room, was a hive of activity to produce a limited edition series of commemorative prints with the official event artwork by David Butler. This had been refined in collaboration with David Adrian Smith, and a team of screenprinters then worked overtime to pull the six colours and have them dried in time for signing.
It was a massive team effort to get these done on time.
Generation Paint
In some more pensive moments, it was difficult to escape the thought that this will probably be the last time that many of the movement's veterans gather together in one place. Despite the years that often pass between seeing each other, there was a tangible warmth, friendship, and comraderie between so many.
However, as the next generation of Letterheads begins to take the reins, there is yet another following closely behind as the movement looks towards its next fifty years.
Original Letterhead Mark Oatis passing it on.
A golden girl taking a leaf out of Kevin Betz's book.
Say Cheese!
The event was almost twice the size of 2015's Letterheads 40, and the group photo shows the full extent of those that gathered for these magical days at the Museum. Don't miss the next one!
PS. Letterheads Portraits
In between capturing the event itself, Natalie set up an impromptu portrait studio where she photographed these beautiful black and white portraits of people that passed by. She invites any sign painters visiting the Museum to get in touch so that she can extend the series...
Jeff Lang, Koy Sun, and Todd Ulrich.
Sean Druley, Doc Welty, and Alex Kurakake.
More Letterheads
Better Letters
Future Meets
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