Neon Art: "Recycled, reclaimed, Reinvented"

I never knew that Los Angeles has a Neon Art Museum... but it does, and this month it is hosting an exhibit entitled " Recycled, Reclaimed, and Reinvented: The Neon Art of Bill Concannon." I am always fascinated by art that uses found and recycled objects... and now that neon is in the mix, I am intrigued.

The Museum is located in DT LA at 136 W 4th st, between Spring & Main. It is $5 for students, closed Monday and Tuesday, but open all the other days from noon - 6 (5pm on Sunday).  I encourage you to go explore it!

A short quote from the artist himself to entice you:

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In reference to our consumeristic culture, Concannon says "for a long time, it's tickled me that glass is at once a very precious (pound per pound) fine art medium and also a thoughtless, throw-away material: no deposit - no return." Many of Concannon's sculptures also form a narrative collage where he comments about consumerism, politics, and the erotic psyche. Examples are the swirling neon man stuck in a jar with the phrase "Pickled Punk," the GWH Bush as arcade fortune teller with a button to press that switches neon lights from the words "White In Men Power" to "WIMP", or the subliminal erotic installation called "Gump's Peony," "Sausage," and "Hoop," that has neon tubes covered in plastic shopping bags. Concannon comments, "let's face it, on some level neon is trash, or at least comes from a trash culture. One of the few 'reuses' of plastic shopping bags is to hold your garbage. No one loves plastic bags, but when you look at them in this piece they're strangely beautiful."