An Evening of Neon

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Neon Dog

Photo courtesy of AP Photo & Delyser & Greenstein

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Professor Dydia DeLyser & Detritologist Paul Greenstein present interactive demonstrations, illustrated insights and pictured recitations on their ongoing and dedicated research on the history and restoration of neon signage.

Tickets: $16 General Admission/$12 VPES Members

Two Sessions (with limited capacity) of the same program will be presented

NOTE: 4:00 pm session is SOLD OUT

4:00-6:00 pm: Program begins in the theater at 4:00 pm, Doors open at 3:45pm

7:30-9:30 pm: Program begins in the theater at 7:30 pm, Doors open at 7:15 pm

• Proof of Vaccination Required (or Negative Covid Test within 48 hours of event)
• Event is indoors/outdoors with limited capacity - DRESS WARMLY

Dydia DeLyser and Paul Greenstein's newly published book Neon: A Light History will be available for purchase at the Velaslavasay Panorama with the opportunity to have your copy signed by the authors.

After more than a decade of in-depth research, DeLyser and Greenstein use Los Angeles—not New York or Las Vegas—as focal point, showing how neon signs have catalyzed urban change, and how they continue to hold appeal for our changing communities. From the earliest luminous tubing in the 1890s to the artistic creations of today, from community-funded restorations of historic signs to ordinary-seeming business signs that have become community icons, DeLyser and Greenstein show how, just as neon signs lit our past, they can now light our shared future.

An overview of the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the Union Theatre Marquee - home of the Velaslavasay Panorama since 2004 - will be presented by its neon caretaker Paul Greenstein and Sara Velas, project manager of the building's 2004 façade improvement project and Founder of the Velaslavasay Panorama. Exhibition support provided in part by Signmakers of Downtown Los Angeles.

NEON DEMONSTRATION!

EPHEMERAL NEON EXHIBIT!

MINI ILLUSTRATED LECTURE!

BOOK SIGNING!

MARQUEE ANALYSIS!

NEON-RELATED HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR PURCHASE!

Dydia DeLyser, PhD is a cultural-historical geographer at California State University, Fullerton who forwards her research interests through community engagements in what she terms participatory historical geography. She has served on the boards of five Southern California Museums.

Paul Greenstein has been designing, fabricating, installing, and restoring neon signs in Los Angeles for over forty years. He has mobilized much of the same expertise in restoring antique cars and motorcycles, typically for personal enjoyment, mobility, and devotion to historic objects, rather than for profit.

Neon Sign Machinery Catalogue - Collection of Robert Haus

Collection of Robert Haus, image courtesy of Delyser & Greenstein via Neon: A Light History

This indoor/outdoor event was made possible in part through support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture and the Velaslavasay Panorama Enthusiast Society.

Visitors will be asked to follow Public Health Guidelines while at the Velaslavasay Panorama including: being fully vaccinated, wearing a proper face mask at all times, frequent hand washing of 20 seconds or more, frequent use of hand sanitizer and maintaining a physical distance of 6 feet from persons who are not members of the same household. Remember, if you are sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 (fever of 100.4˚ or greater, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, recent loss of taste or smell), or if someone you live with has been lab-confirmed diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days, we kindly ask that you stay home.

Union Theatre Marquee - 2004-2016

Photos by: Forest Casey