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Today neon has lost much of its novelty and its profitability. And now new products threaten to displace it. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) advance into channel letters, a domain once commanded by neon. Eventually bright, inexpensive and programmable Light Emitting Polymers (LEPs) may dislodge neon from window and Point of Purchase signs. Now may be the time to rethink defensive attitudes to curb neon from possible demise and to grip our place in it.

Where is the training?
What does the neon industry offer today in defense of its berth? It certainly is not persistent unified member training, legitimate testing or certification. In fact, in the United States, little or nothing even exists of neon’s original trade schools. Most opened after World War II and the Korean War in response to returning soldiers and a booming economy. They trained dozens of students at a time and many graduates found work. Regrettably, those schools closed long ago without so much as a whimper from the industry, and their training methods from which the industry could build evaporated with them. Today, training is fragmented at best.

Some claim you can walk into a neon shop and say, “I want to become a neon glassblower.” But I say, “Don’t expect a warm welcome.” Not even if you offer to pay well for the education. Too many glassblowers know from experience that sign shops are quick to replace or job-shuffle their tubebenders as little loyalty exists. And even if one does land a watching spot at the bending table, prepare to learn by watching over a concealing shoulder. Why should a journeyman be willing to share their hard-earned skills? Most guard their craft well.

Now, I know that some large shops take on a select few wannabes and train them. But most come from within the company and are trained for company purposes. For many aspirant craftsmen only the school of hard knocks is readily available, teaching one’s self through books, videotapes and magazine articles then fighting for a spot in the marketplace.

Some neon schools are at least State sanctioned but others are small sign shops that offer graduates limited training and modest credentials. A select few offer college level instruction. The Northwest Technical College in Minnesota offers a nine-month program, 36 college credit hours, with a diploma upon completion. The course covers computer concepts, career search, bending block and script letters, producing patterns and sculpture, production bending, bombarding and transformers, indoor and outdoor neon, cost analysis and first aid. You can find out more about their program online at www.ntc-online.com or by calling 1-877-SEEK-NTC.

At the university level, the University of California at Berkeley offers a course in neon-illuminated sculpture. Christian Schiess, renowned neon artist and author of “The Light Artist Anthology,” instructs the class over fifteen Saturdays. The introductory course offers students the chance to complete two neon projects. An intermediate course further builds upon these skills where students make three or four neon art projects.

At the University of California in San Diego, neon guru, Ron Carlson offers beginning and intermediate neon classes as well as a unique non-instructional neon studio membership. Here supervised students use the facility during off time to further their skills and develop projects. For more information, go to www-crafts.ucsd.edu/brochure/neon.html#studio

What we can do
As far as I know, none of these programs are sponsored by the industry. And to be honest, I don’t know if they produce productive craftsmen for the trade or even successful neon artists. But these are the only available, federally accredited programs that I am aware of. If the industry does not actively assist in the unified training of future craftsman then we are vulnerable to replacement by organized diligence.

For any industry to grow strong, its members must educate and qualify upcoming consorts. It’s the path taken by the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), the UAW (United Auto Workers), the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and many other organizations. Each built a trade on professional ideals then protected their members through organized professionalism. Unfortunately, the neon trade remains fraught with guarded secrets and its newest members often languish in neglect.

Is it too late to protect the neon trade? I discovered an extensive yet partial list of individual trade unions in the United States at www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/union/namer/usa.htm. Now, why the interest in a trade union? Because a trade union organizes and mobilizes its members. It organizes them into a profession then mobilizes them to protect their interests. Ever try to tear a phone book in half? It’s easy one page a time but almost impossible when those pages are bound together.

For too long, neon members have worked disconnected, fragmented by competition and fear. Will we rely upon another overwhelming wave of neon interest to propel our status-quo trade forward? Or are we counting on our trade secrets to protect us? Will we communicate and organize into a body of professionals? Or will we allow novel, high-tech products to knock us from our teetering post? The future of our trade is made up by the choices we make today.

LIST OF NEON SCHOOLS (contact each for latest information):

ACADEMY OF ART COLLEGE
625 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA. 94108
Phone: 415.274.2200
Fax: 415.546.9737

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEON
212 N. 3rd Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: 612.338.5045
Fax: 612.338.5045

BOSTON CENTER FOR ADULT EDUCATION
c/o Strattman Design
791 Tremont St., E517
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617.266.8821
Fax: 617.266.6263

BRISTOL SCHOOL OF NEON
1534 Euclid Ave.
Bristol, VA. 24201
Phone: 703.669.0811
Fax: 540.669.7120

BRITISH SCHOOL OF NEON
c/o Masonlite, Ltd.
36 Chatham
Kent ME45AX ENGLAND
Phone: 441.634.812.751
Fax: 441.634.811.883

DACO NEON SCHOOL
PO Box 461084
Papillon, NE 68046
Phone: 402.331.2164
Fax: 402.331.8259

DUTCH NEON SCHOOL
p/a Stichting Educatieve Cursussen
van Bleyswijckstraat 72
2618 RT Delft, NETHERLANDS

ED WALDRUM SCHOOL OF NEON
905 Blue bonnet
Irving, TX 75060
Phone: 972.438.1628
Fax: 972.438.1099

HOLLYWOOD SCHOOL OF NEON
2041 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, FL 33020
Phone: 954.922.1100
Fax: 954.922.7609

LIGHTWRITERS NEON
911 Green Bay Rd.
Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: 847.291.4160
Fax: 847.291.6865

MAX NEON SCHOOL
372 Olive Wood Rd.
Toronto, ON M8Z 2Z9 CANADA Phone: 416.239.9495
Fax: 416.239.2070

MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE OF ART
2501 Stevens Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN55404
Phone: 612.874.3700
Fax: 612.874.3704

MUSEUM OF NEON ART
501 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: 213.489.9918
Fax: 213.489.9932

NATIONAL NEON INSTITUTE
1070 Tyler St.
Benicia, CA 94510
Phone: 707.747.6167
Fax: 707.745.4102

NEO-SCULPT
1621 Gale Dr.
Beloit, WI 53511
Phone: 608.368.1221

NEON Trade School
3871 S. Valley View #79
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Phone: 1-877-257-NEON or 702.220.7869
Fax: 702.227.8340

NEW YORK CONTEMPORARY GLASS CTR
647 Fulton St., 3rd Fl.
Brooklyn, NY. 11231
Phone: 718.625.3685
Fax: 718.625.3889

NORTH TEXAS NEON SCHOOL
9810 Spur 580 West
Ft. Worth, TX 76116
Phone: 817.560.2184

NORTHERN WISCONSIN NEON WORKSHOP
c/o Northern Adv. Inc.
Box 92 N4220 Neva Rd.
Antigo, WI 54409
Phone: 715.623.3000
Fax: 715.623.3000

NORTHWEST INDIANA SCHOOL OF NEON
436 Conkey St.
Hammond, IN 46324
Phone: 219.937.1560
Fax: 219.937.2133

NORTHWEST TECHNICAL COLLEGE
900 Hwy. 34 East
Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
Phone: 218.847.1341, ext. 347
Fax: 218.847.7170

PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN
66 5th Ave.
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212.229.8910
Fax: 212.229.8975

PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFTS
P.O. Box 37
Penland, NC 28765
Phone: 828.765.2359
Fax: 828.765.7389

SAVAGE NEON
4900 Wetheredsville Road
Baltimore, MD 21207
Phone: 410.448.5483
Fax: 410.448.5490

TECNOLUX SCHOOL OF NEON
103 14th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: 718.369.3900
Fax: 718.369.2845

UCSD CRAFTS CENTER
Grove Gallery
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0338
Phone: 858.534.2630
Fax: 858.534.8881

UC BERKELEY EXTENSION
Neon Illuminated Sculpture
1995 University Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94720-7007
Phone: 510.642.4111

URBAN GLASS
647 Fulton St. 3rd Fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: 718.625.3685
Fax: 718.625.3889