Fridays, July 24, 31 August 7, 14, 21, 28
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This course explores 100 years of American history through everyday objects often taken for granted: signs. Led by staff from the American Sign Museum (ASM), the course introduces the museum’s origins and includes a conversation with its founder about the cultural importance of signs. Sessions examine how signage has evolved alongside changes in commerce and technology. Case studies highlight three major food companies that used signage to shape their brands. The final session features a virtual visit to ASM’s neon shop to observe how a neon sign is created.
The American Sign Museum (Cincinnati, Ohio) covers more than 100 years of American sign history and displays more than 800 signs and artifacts, making it the most comprehensive museum of its kind. With a mission to educate the community about the history of the sign industry and its significant contribution to commerce and the American landscape, the Museum is organized to preserve, archive and display a historical collection of signs in their many types and forms.