This summer, we are asking museums and galleries to select a piece on display and provide us with a closer look.
This week, we visit Ignite Sign Art Museum founder Jude Cook and his recreation of the marquee that once sat atop the entrance of the Lyric Theater, downtown.
Artist: Jude Cook has been collecting, restoring and making signs for 47 years. Heβs restored historic signs in Tucson, Casa Grande and Silver City, New Mexico. In October 2018, he founded Ignite Sign Art Museum. The museum features an estimated 300 signs, many of which are original signs from Tucson businesses.
Featured piece: A reproduction of the marquee from the Lyric Theater, downtown.
Materials used: Neon, LED lighting, aluminum, plastic, wood, incandescent electronic chasing bulbs. The facade incorporates a changeable letter marquee.
Dimensions: 16 feet tall and 12 feet wide.
What makes this piece significant: This is an artistic recreation of the Lyric Theater that screened movies on East Congress downtown from 1918 to 1965, when it was torn down to make room for the county court building.
The piece highlights the lavish and classic charm of vintage art deco marquees by incorporating a mix of lighting used in the sign industry over the past ninety years, with current technology that makes it more energy efficient.
What demands a closer look: The Lyric facade incorporates a 100-year-old ticket booth. When you stand back, you will see the facade was created to give the viewer a sense of faux perspective.
Anything else we should know: Just below the marquee, you will see a description of the Lyric Theater. The final features screened at the Lyric, which was located at 171 W. Congress, was βLaurel and Hardy and the Roaring 1920sβ and βOld Yeller.β
Where to see it: Ignite Sign Art Museum, 331 S. Olsen Ave. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. Admission is $12 with discounts available. ignitemuseum.com, 319-0888.
