Choosing Sides

Step right up to be amazed at The American Sign Museum!

“Freaks & Sideshows: American Circus Banners 1920 – 1970,” on view through Oct. 4, explores the people behind the banners – both the signpainters and the performers – with a look at the sensational and sometimes exploitative nature of the circus.

Collector Talk: Dave Walker
Thursday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m.
$5 for Members | $25 for Non-Members

Meet the man behind the banners of “Freaks & Sideshows,” as collector Dave Walker talks about the stories of the performers captured in these larger-than-life banners.

American Sign Museum, 1330 Monmouth St.

More at www.americansignmuseum.org.

Often more thrilling than the acts they promoted, circus banners enticed audiences to wander through the strange and wild side of life through bold colors and designs. Visitors will be amazed by more than 25 banners that were seen in midways across the country from the Roaring Twenties through the 1970s. The banners now take center stage to showcase a unique form of advertisement in the

The special exhibition will be on view during the Museum’s normal hours of operation, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Admission to the exhibition is included Museum admission. 

Additional programs inspired by the exhibition will take place during the course of the show including a talk with Dave Waller, the collector who loaned the banners for the exhibition. Guided tours of the museum are available on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 and 2 p.m., with neon demonstrations available at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.