The Founders of the Neon Art Collective ‘She Bends’ Discuss the Womxn at the Forefront of the Trade
From Colossal: Colossal contributor Claire Voon spoke with Meryl Pataky and Kelsey Issel of She Bends, a collective of womxn who bend neon, via Zoom in August 2020. This interview has been edited for clarity. The artwork above is by Megan Stelljes.
Claire: Where are you both based as the pandemic persists?
Meryl: I live in Oakland and my shop is in San Francisco. Kelsey is in Marfa, Texas.
Claire: Meryl, do you currently have access to a studio space, and if so, have you been able to make new work during this time?
Meryl: I could either work at home, where I have a setup in my garage, or work at my shop. I was supposed to have a solo show in April that got postponed until September at Pt.2 Gallery, so I’m working on that. It’s all new work, and it’s kind of crazy because the themes that I was discussing were a lot of American guilt type of things like capitalism and colonialism, exploitation of people and labor. So I’m actually grateful that I’ve had time to experience the work in this context and spend more time with it.
Claire: I feel like many artists are struggling to find motivation to create during this crisis, but having a deadline probably helps.
A 1940s Diner That Has Traveled Across Southwestern Pennsylvania Is Now For Sale On eBay
From KDKA 2 Pittsburgh: BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) — A 1940s diner in Butler County is for sale and in need of a new home.
A sale listing for the 1949 diner has popped up on eBay. Formally known as The Summit Diner, the piece of 1940s nostalgia currently sits vacant at 760 U.S. Route 422 in Butler, attached to a cement block building.
The eBay listing only lasts 30 days and has a starting bid of $15,000. The diner needs some elbow grease to get off the ground again. Repairs need to be made to the roof, windows and some of the stainless steel appliances inside.
However, if you are interested in purchasing this piece of history, be warned, you are in for a heavy haul.
History of Front Street’s Auto Row | Ross Eric Gibson
A poster advertises the Mutchler Motors’ modern showroom in 1948 at 426 Front St. The streamline style included glass brick as an illuminated bulkhead for the showcase front bay, with a neon sign and mirror-black tiles that reflected the ambient light. Contributed
From the Santa Cruz Sentinel: In the 1990s, the city wanted its new parking garage at Front Street and Soquel Avenue to fit into the humanist character of our post-earthquake downtown. So they hired architect Gary Garmann, whose initial design was more boxy with industrial details, and artwork to look like tire ad posters. Garmann said he was inspired that Front Street was once Auto Row, but a councilwoman told him they hired him to make it look LESS like a parking garage, with architecture to emphasize the businesses rather than car storage. “Then how will people know it’s a garage?” he asked. “With signs.” So it was modified.
Garmann can be forgiven to think Auto Row must have been like a “Gasoline Alley” of grease shops, tin warehouses and auto-wrecking yards. Yet the north end of Front Street below Cooper Street was the town’s Civic Center, with the octagonal Hall of Records, County Jail, City Hall, art gallery, music hall and gymnasium on the west side of the street, and the Greyhound and Peerless bus station to the east. City officials objected to grimy blacksmiths and grease shops within view of the County Seat, so these industrial services dressed themselves up.
“World’s largest” Route 66 sign goes up at Motorheads Bar, Grill & Museum
Ron Metzger, owner of the Motorheads Bar, Grill & Museum Crews, stands next to the new 32-foot-by-32-foot Route 66 sign as crews from Ace Sign Co. lift it up to attach it to the original poles from Stuckey’s at the Motorheads Bar, Grill & Museum, Friday, August 14, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. Metzger first drew up plans for the sign two years ago on a piece of paper and now hopes the sign will serve as a destination for Route 66 enthusiast and other travelers off the highway. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register
From The Courier: The concept of a Route 66 sign at Motorheads Bar, Grill & Museum on Toronto Road just off Interstate 55 began as a sketch on a piece of paper in Ron Metzger’s restaurant a couple of years ago.
Even then, Metzger was thinking big.
The 32-foot-by-32-foot sign was delivered and was being worked by its manufacturer, Ace Sign Co. in Springfield, on Thursday. It was hoisted into place Friday with an official dedication later that afternoon.
Metzger is calling it the “world’s largest Route 66 emblem,” apparently eclipsing the shield that stands in front of the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Okla.
Federal Judge Gives Greenlight To Termination Of Paramount Consent Decrees
AP Photo/NewsBase
From Deadline: A federal judge has given the green light to Justice Department to terminate the 71-year-old consent decrees that have restricted major studio control over the exhibition process.
The lifting of the decrees will clear the way for studios to once again take significant ownership of theater chains, now in dire straits because of the pandemic. But more importantly for the industry, the elimination of the decrees means that studios and exhibitors will be allowed to engage in a host of business practices that have been prohibited since the late 1940s.
“Because changes in antitrust law and administration have diminished the importance of the Decrees’ restrictions, while still providing protections that will keep the probability of future violations low, the Court finds that termination of the Decrees is in the public interest,” wrote U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in a ruling issued on Friday.
Road Trip! Why Traveling By Car Is the Safest Way to Vacation Right Now
A road trip may be the safest way to travel during a pandemic. ANDIE_ALPION/ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES
From Mental Floss: There’s no question that the threat of COVID-19 has had a significant effect on how Americans travel. Summer, which is typically vacation season, has seen millions cancel or postpone plans to traverse the country.
While travel by any means may increase your odds of coming in contact with the virus, some methods are safer than others. Recently, Condé Nast Traveler spoke with a number of health experts for guidance on how to approach vacations via air, train, or the highway. The general consensus? If you’re going somewhere, try to go by car.