- Letterheads
Letterheads is a group of sign makers and decorative artists dedicated to passing down traditional sign making skills. The Letterheads meet for hand lettering rallies and to exchange lost "tricks of the trade" and accumulated skills.
History
*Originated in
Denver ,Colorado in 1975 by a group of sign shop apprentices and sign artists; Rick Flores, John Frazier, Bob Mitchell, Mark Oatis, Mike Rielly, Carl Vehill, Mike Author and Noel Weber. Many were understudies of the talented and generous Jerry Albright. The early "meetings" consisted of a fair amount of partying centered around discussions of the sign trade.Sharing, exemplified by Jerry Albright, became the strength of the group.
There were additions made in the early 80's and the movement took off from there. There was a meeting at Noel's in the summer of '82 and then Mike Jackson's Oklahoma meet in October of the same year. Raymond Chapman had a Texas gathering in November, 1983.The group now has grown worldwide and numbers in the thousands. The Letterheads traditionally gather for one annual "International" meet in the US or Canada, as well as 10 or more smaller regional meets throughout, but not limited to, the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. 2005 marks the first meet held in Greece.
Meets typically last for several days, and consist of attendees participating in lettering, striping, carving, gold leafing(gilding) and often glass art. Besides the incredible amount of talent and skill demonstrated during these events, it is the free exchange of knowledge and camaraderie amongst people of the same trade that makes these weekends remarkable.
Several "
walldog " meets have occurred over the years, where the Letterheads have gathered to teach, learn and practice large mural painting. One of these took place in 1997, inBelvidere, Illinois . Over 300 artists from all over the world joined forces to create nine murals in three days. The work was donated by the artists to the town of Belvidere, with all compositions depicting the town's history.The Letterhead mission is to pass on trade "secrets" and skills through the ages, "keeping their craft alive" for future generations. With the onset of computers and vinyl films for signmaking, the Letterhead mission of passing down the traditional skills is more important today than ever before.
*This is a highly revised version of an a once more accurate record of the group, that was posted here. It has been omitted by apparently uninformed individuals.External links
http://www.theletterheads.com/
http://www.letterhead.com/
http://franciscovargas.com/newsclips/lincoln%20front%20p.htm
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
