What to Know
- Museum of Neon Art Warehouse Tours in Pomona
- Sunday, July 9 from 3 to 7 p.m.; $30 for a 20-minute timed tour ($15 MONA member)
- PoMONA Warehouse at 560 E. Commercial Street #21 in Pomona
Even if you adore a particular cultural institution, and you count yourself among its most obsessed fans, and you can rattle off your favorite exhibits without pausing to think, you still may have a hunch, a flickering feeling, if you will, that the Really Good Stuff is stowed in some warehouse.
And the thing about a museum's storage facility, the place with the rumored Really Good Stuff? It's solely for museum employees, the protected province of staff members, which means that beckoning the public to peek at a warehouse's aisles is Generally Not Done.
But the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale is not a "Generally Not Done" sort of place; on the contrary, the illuminated institution has a notable knack for being at the leading edge of interesting ideas, taking fun chances, and all-out envelope-pushing.
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So it is no surprise that MONA is throwing the doors open to its Pomona warehouse — or its PoMONA Warehouse, rather — on Sunday, July 9, all to give fans of the iconic light form a closer look at some of the signs in storage.
Yep, the giant K that was removed from the Sky Tower at Knott's Berry Farm is there, as well as signage from the Brown Derby (as in, that huge hat everyone knows and loves) and the Western Motel sign, the one with the classic lasso around the retro letters.
Guides will be at the helm of the 20-minute tours and securing your $30 ticket for timed entry? You should, most definitely, in advance.
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"It is a rare occasion to open our warehouse to the public, because it is often filled to the brim with new acquisitions and ongoing projects," states MONA Executive Director Corrie Siegel.
"Visitors will see a range of beautifully restored signs, objects, and artworks as well as those awaiting restoration. When I first visited the warehouse I was filled with wonder, it's very fun to relive this with visitors."
Feeling parched after so much neon-tastic enjoyment? The Neon Bear Brewery is right next door and, as the name suggests, has several MONA pieces on dazzling display.
The brewhouse will be open through 10 o'clock, well after the tours wrap, should you need to chat about all of the warehouse-stored treasures you just beheld with other neon enthusiasts.
Again, while the Museum of Neon Art is located in Glendale, the July 9 event is humming, neon-style, in Pomona.
