Part 3 of the Neon-Matchbook tour series, featuring the history of East Bay/Oakland nightlife and design via vintage neon and matchbooks.

Thur, Mar 31st, 2022 | 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM PST

Tune in for an illustrated exploration of typography used on the matchbooks and neon signs from the neighborhoods of Oakland and the East Bay. Just like matchbooks, historic neon signs are a fascinating synecdoche of the small businesses they represent, and a window to the past explored through material culture. This illustrated presentation will be hosted by Stephen Coles of Letterform Archive with co-host Al Barna of SF Neon. This is the debut of a new typography tour, get ready for a deep dive into the history of matchbook design and the unique letterforms of matchbooks and neon signs.

Free | Suggested donation of $10.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/east-bay-neon-matchbook-typography-tour-tickets-238705433377

Those who register will get links watch the tour on Zoom or as a recorded video on YouTube, available for one week after the event.

This event is part of Nightlife and Neon, an ongoing series of illuminating talks and tours presented by the Tenderloin Museum and SF Neon that explores Bay Area history through the city’s rich legacy of iconic glowing signs and matchbook ephemera.

In proud partnership with the Tenderloin Museum. Existing at the intersection of material culture and built environment, neon signs are emblematic of the many small businesses that comprise a vital thread in the dynamic tapestry of the urban ecosystem. The Tenderloin and Mid-Market sport the densest concentration of extant neon in the Bay Area, which makes the Tenderloin Museum an ideal forum to consider neon and its powerful, often overlooked ability to chronicle a city and its people.