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SWAG: Win Two Tickets To This Friday’s “Sign Painter” Premiere At The Rio Theatre

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Hand-painted signs are awesome. It’s definitely an artform that is worth celebrating, and this weekend you can with two fantastic events. First, catch the film Sign Painters at the Rio Theatre on Friday night (7:30pm). Note: this is a 19+ 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, die-cut 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 Directors Faythe Levine and Sam Macon, with Cinematographer Travis Auclair, began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time-honored methods, and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship. Sign Painters, the first anecdotal history of the craft, features the stories of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States. The documentary and book profiles sign painters young and old, from the new vanguard working solo to collaborative shops such as San Francisco’s New Bohemia Signs and New York’s Colossal Media’s Sky High Murals.

It won’t be your average screening. Directors Levine and Macon will be in attendance and hanging around after the show for a Q&A with the audience. And then, on the following day, the One Shot At Glory: The Art of The Sign Painter show will go down at Smash Gallery on Clark. The art exhibition will feature works and demonstrations by some of the artists featured in the film. So yeah, it’s basically a one-two knockout of sign painting radness this weekend, and you should probably get into it!

To win a pair of tickets to the Friday night showing, “like” Scout on Facebook (if you haven’t already), follow @scoutmagazine on Twitter (if you haven’t already) and retweet the following: I’m fixing to win two tickets to Sign Painters @RioTheatre via @scoutmagazine http://wp.me/plxHU-hYK.

The winner will be chosen at random on Thursday night. If you don’t win, don’t sweat it! Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Purchase tickets and find out more about the events here.

UPDATE: Congrats @amytheavocado. You’ve won 2 tix to Sign Painters. Email michelle [at] scoutmagazine.ca to claim!