The American Sign Museum in Camp Washington is celebrating a milestone anniversary, and, in honor of the occasion, it’s also releasing a new book.
The first iteration of the American Sign Museum began in 1999 in the basement of the Signs of the Times magazine office when museum founder Tod Swormstedt began his collection. Over the next 25 years, the museum grew into a 40,000-square-foot facility that houses more than 100 years of signage and tells the story of an often-overlooked part of American history. The collection is also the most comprehensive display of signs in the country.
To mark the 25th anniversary, the American Sign Museum is releasing American Sign Museum: Celebrating 25 Years, a book that both traces the museum’s history and the stories of signage in America.
“From an idea in founder Tod Swormstedt’s brain to the #3 Pop Culture Museum in the country, the story of the American Sign Museum is a story of ingenuity worth telling. This beautiful compilation is a wonderful celebration of the often-overlooked impact signs have had on American culture,” David Dupee, the American Sign Museum’s director, said in a press release.
Work on the book began in November 2024. It’s authored by Sam Roberts, the editor and publisher of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine), the world’s only print and online publication dedicated to the signpainting trade, and designed by Kathy Kikkert, the author and designer of Hollywood Signs: The Golden Age of Glittering Graphics and Glowing Neon. Local photographer and educator Natalie Grilli provided the photography.
“The American Sign Museum has inspired me visually for over a decade, long before I became its neighbor, and this book feels like a marquee tribute to that influence. Working on this project was a full-circle moment, blending my love of storytelling and art with a place that buzzes with warmth like home,” said Grilli.
American Sign Museum: Celebrating 25 Years will be available in the museum’s gift shop in time for the holiday season. You can also pre-order a copy here.
To celebrate both the 25th anniversary and the book’s release, the museum will host a VIP cocktail hour and sneak peek of the book from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 for museum members and supporters. Members should RSVP to the party by Monday, Nov. 17 by emailing rsvp@americansignmuseum.org or calling 513-701-2186. If you would like to become a member of the American Sign Museum, you can learn more here.
American Sign Museum, 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington. More info: americansignmuseum.org.