HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE TIGER!

The Museum of Neon Art enters the new decade with our first Transformer in an online format. In addition to obvious cost saving measures we can offer more print and photos with each publication, not to mention reaching a broader audience and doing our part towards sustaining our environment.

We would like to thank the members, Board of Trustees, volunteers and staff for your continued support of MONA. While we continue our negotiations with the City of Glendale for a move to a permanent facility on Brand Blvd., we would like to take a moment with this issue to reminisce over the past decade. For those of you not familiar with our history, we were twelve years on Traction Avenue, four years at Universal CityWalk and ten years at Grand Hope Park….we were homeless for 2007 and then reopened in our current temporary location in 2008. It’s already been two years at the 4th Street location! If you haven’t visited MONA on 4th, we hope you do so this year! There are some great restaurants in the area and always a lot of street activity to make your descent into the maze of one-way streets and paid parking of Downtown a worthwhile adventure.

–From Kim Koga , the director of MONA.

The Downtown Art Walk is growing by leaps and bounds on the 2nd Thursday of every month. So if you like crowds of young art party enthusiasts visit MONA’s ELECTRIC HOUR from 8-9PM for neon-bending demos by neon artist Michael Flechtner, live music by our favorite DJ Neon Hunter, and good conversation.  We recently set up a new black box/UV light room for video screenings.  For our black box opening we called upon VJ Fader (aka James Cui), one of LA’s leading forces in video light manipulation, to show his electric light video called  Jelly Fish made by real-time video processing program.

James will also teach a video workshop on electric light and video computer processing on Sunday May 9th from 4-9pm at MONA in association with Los Angeles Video Artists. Seats are limited to 20 however MONA members receive a special discount. To sign up for the workshop, read more here.

Now in in its twelfth season, the MONA Neon Cruise has already begun to receive wide-spread attention with a feature on KCAL Channel 9’s Best of LA TV Show. Many past riders say that this tour is the “quintessential LA experience, ” where participants leave with plenty of anecdotal tidbits on Los Angeles’ illuminated past. (After all, LA is the home of the first commercial neon sign in America)!  Guided by urban anthropologist and neon sign expert, Eric Lynxwiler,  riders get to explore LA’s shining displays of vintage and contemporary neon.  Along the way Lynxwiler  points out the historical neon signs behind the classic movie marquees of the historic Broadway theater district, the glowing pagodas of Chinatown, and the glittering lights of Hollywood Blvd.  Riders also are treated with several illuminated surprises in-between including a special stop at Canter’s Deli!

Every Saturday night from June to Novemember, the tour starts at MONA, beginning at 7:30pm with a private reception of the museum’s collection.  At 8pm the British open-top double decker bus arrives at the museum and takes off for a three-hour tour of night lights, fun, and adventure. However, seats are limited so make sure to reserve via paypal at neonmona.org or call 213-489-9918.

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