are annual affairs, and New Zealand celebrated its 25th anniversary event in 2022 after the Covid-induced hiatus.) The release of Sign Painters in 2013 (see column in SignLink April/May 2023) prompted a renewed interest in the Letterheads, as well as the craft of sign painting in general. One of the film’s most memorable contributions was from Keith Knecht (RIP), and includes him recounting his induction into the movement, and learning of its motto, IOAFS (look it up!), for the first time. The decade following the film’s release saw a flourishing of meets in Europe, with events held in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Helsinki, London, Norwich, Oslo, Porto, and Rochester. 2019 also saw the Letterheads land in Tokyo, Japan, and a 2023 gathering brought the movement to Mexico for the first time. In 2020, there was also an online manifestation in the form of Lockdown Letterheads, hosted live on Zoom over 24 hours. I, Letterhead I was one of those introduced to the Letterheads by the Sign Painters film, and one month after its 2014 London screenings, I was in the frozen midwest town of Mazeppa, Minnesota, for Mike Meyer’s meet. He is a veteran host of numerous events, and one of my enduring memories was how welcoming and encouraging he and all of the 40 or so Websites: www.bl.ag and www.ghostsigns.co.uk Social Media: @betterletters (instagram) @ghostsigns (twitter) @mrghostsigns (instagram) guests were. There was an overwhelming camaraderie, and I was like the proverbial kid in a candy store getting to watch all these professionals wielding their brushes in the flesh. I’m not a sign painter, but was quickly christened a Letterhead – perhaps due to my work documenting and researching ghost signs – and was instantly hooked. I attended my next meet in Rochester, UK, that same year, and then made it back to America for the 40th anniversary event at The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2015. In 2018, I had the privilege of being part of the team that hosted the international London Calling meet on the banks of the Thames. This welcomed 250 guests from 30 countries to my home city for the first time, with four days of panel jamming, workshops, demonstrations, talks, screenings, and excursions. Many that I’ve spoken to since the London event described it as a life-changing experience, much like mine in Mazeppa. In some sense, this is the way of the Letterheads: passing on the ethos and inspiring others to do the same, as Mike did for me. And, as we head towards the 50th anniversary meet in 2025, the movement shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. There are numerous Letterheads event reviews at bl.ag/letterheads, and I share details of future events at bl.ag/eventlistings. ▲ Panel jamming at the Bargehouse, behind the OXO Tower, at the 2018 meet in London. Photo: Colin Allen ▼ Going, going, gone! Panels being auctioned at the 2023 Benelux Letterheads meet in Brussels. Photo: Ben Boisacq, ACHROMAT / @achromat.studio 45 Issue 251 - February / March 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS
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