New York Sign Museum

The New York Sign Museum is a project of David Barnett and Mac Pohanka, founders and co-owners of a Brooklyn sign-making company. Pohanka and Barnett have worked in the production of fine furniture, fabrication of props for film, and graphic design for the music industry. While their previous work might seem more glamorous, their appreciation for classic signage is expressed by their company’s name: Noble Signs. Their love of classic signs is also reflected in the New York Sign Museum.

The museum’s mission is to preserve, promote, and archive advertising and signage from the Metropolitan New York City area. The collection includes over 40 façade-scale signs and 100 smaller pieces. The museum also holds artifacts, books, and ephemera associated with the design and manufacturing of New York signs. In addition to Barnett and Pohanka, the museum is supported by a team of historians, preservationists, and others who share an appreciation for vintage New York signage.

The museum aspires to have a dedicated exhibition space with regular public hours but four years after organizing as a not-for-profit in March 2021, the collection remains housed in the Noble Signs workspace. Deinstalled from their previous locations, the individual signs gain visibility as vernacular material culture, rather than pieces of a larger landscape shouting for our attention. At eye level, it also becomes easier to appreciate the artistry and materiality of the signs. After visiting the museum, you may visually experience commercial streets with refreshed eyes.