Much more than just screening a movie, we are trying to bring to light to this craft. Meet North Carolina based sign painters and ask them questions about why they felt the need to preserve this artform. See some of their work in a small gallery of hand-painted signage that will be staged around the theatre.

Check it out...

• We will have Timothy Maddox of Mighty Fine Signs opening the event
• After the movie we will have a Q&A session with Timothy and Suzanne Bircher of She Paints Signs in Dunn, NC. 
• Timothy and Suzanne will also have a gallery of their work setup to look at and Suzanne custom painted a sign just for our event!

There was a time, as recently as the 1980s, when storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards, and even street signs were all hand lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fueled promise of quicker and cheaper. The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, diecut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our landscape. Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade. In 2010 filmmakers Faythe Levine, coauthor of Handmade Nation, and Sam Macon began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time-honored methods, and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship.

Watch the Sign Painters trailer.

“Sign Painters,” which has been put together with equal parts affection and skill by directors Faythe Levine and Sam Macon, is fresh and passionate and unexpected." 

-Mark Feeney, Boston Globe 

 "The documentary accomplishes what many films that consist of mostly talking heads do not. Through the individual stories, a larger narrative surfaces about this art form and its fate over time. In many ways, it is more than that. It is a cautionary tale about the head-long rush into a technology-driven time and a meditation on what’s lost along the way. It is a reminder to look around and recognize the physical history in our presence every day." 

-Mary Louise Schumacher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Join us on Thursday, February 27 for Sign Painters at the Rialto Theater in Raleigh. We will have a gallery of local sign painters art, as well as a Q&A session after the movie. Stay tuned for an announcement on a very special speaker as well (maybe two!).