22 Jan Curbed LA: Peek Inside the New Museum of Neon Art Before Its Official Grand Opening
By Bianca Barragan
The Museum of Neon Art’s collection has been jumping from place to place for a while now. In the last ten years alone, the museum was pushed out of its location in South Park (rising rents were to blame) to a spot in the Old Bank District. When it outgrew that space in 2008, some of the greatest hits of its collection were on display at Universal City Walk while a suitable new home was scouted, and now, finally, that home has been found in Glendale, right across from the Americana at Brand. This new location is approaching its official grand opening on February 6, says KPCC, but since it’s been open for limited winter hours for a while (Fridays and weekends only) some lucky folks have already gotten a sneak peek at some of the incredible pieces in the established museum’s new home, and you can, too.
The MONA was founded all the way back in 1981, and features neon art from around the world and the country; the highly Instagrammable neon diving girl on top of the building was once over a hotel in Mississippi. But there’s also signage from across Southern California, like “a giant green frog in a coat and top hat that used to dance on the Bakersfield grocery store,” which is now in the MONA’s lobby. There are even a few signs from Glendale that were given to the museum back in the Eighties “when they said ‘eh, neon’s not too good anymore, we want to get rid of it,'” a museum spokesperson told KPCC.
Source: Curbed LA