The American Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio stores, archives, and displays a collection of stamps. The museum also exhibits tools used in sign-making. Tod Swormstedt started working at the museum in 1999. It opened to the public in 2005.
Background
Tod Swormstedt spent 26 years on the staff of Signs of the Times magazine, founded in 1906. He became the fourth-generation editor of the “Bible of industrial signs,” following his family. Tod put his knowledge and contacts to good use in what he called a “midlife crisis project” that would become the American Sign Museum. It is an opportunity for God to preserve the 3D knowledge of the multi-generational brand industry, tell their stories, and bring these brands to life before they are lost forever. In 1999, Tod founded the National Sign of the Times Museum. With immediate support, the museum was renamed and opened as the American Flag Museum in May 2005. His temporary promotion in the art scene was perfect for several years, but growing pains followed. The wonderful McDonald’s and Holiday Inn can only partially display, and the collection is growing fast. Tod began looking for a permanent home for the ever-expanding collection. He wanted a space that could fulfill his vision of an interactive museum. He found a new home for the museum at Camp Washington, a historic area in Cincinnati. Century Oesterlein Machine Company-Fashion Frocks, Inc. The complex became the new home of the Museum. Its doors opened in June 2012.
Collection
More than 200 signs and other items are displayed in the museum, and more than 3,800 items are listed. The collection dates from the end of the 19th century to the 1970s. Highlights of the collection include examples of yellow letters on glass, a Sputnik-like plastic orb from an Anaheim mall, a neon wind turbine from a donut shop from Denver, business cards from Las Vegas, and a fiberglass statue of Frisch’s Big Boy with paintings. Sling in his pocket. (The slingshot was removed from the later version of the Big Boy statue.) The logos of Big Bear’s supermarkets, Howard Johnson’s, and Earl Scheib’s can also be seen.
At the entrance to the museum, visitors are greeted by a 6.1-meter-tall fiberglass genie from a Los Angeles carpet cleaning company. King Pest Control Cincinnati
In 2008, the museum acquired the McDonald’s logo 1963 from Huntsville, Alabama. The sign features the McDonald’s Speedee character, which was removed in support of Ronald McDonald in 1960. In 2009, the museum added the neon sign of Johnny’s Big Red Grill, a popular college student center restaurant. ‘Cornell University. Address: 1330 Monmouth Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
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