National grant broadens sign museum

The American Sign Museum has received a “Challenge America” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the first time in support of its accessibility efforts.

The NEA grant will help pay for the museum’s translation of its self-guided, print tour and audio guides into German, Chinese and French and record audio tours of the pre-existing Spanish, Nepali and Arabic language tours.

“With the United States and Cincinnati becoming home to more non-English speaking citizens, a larger segment of the population cannot access the cultural benefits of museums,” said Cindy Kearns, museum director. “The Sign Museum is taking a comprehensive look at ways it can be more accessible and embracing a multilingual approach in its discussion.”

Previous funding from the Ohio Arts and Humanities Councils allowed the museum to translate self-guided print tours into Spanish, Nepali and Arabic, which are the most prominent foreign languages in the Tristate.

Founded in 1999, the museum opened its doors to the public in spring 2005 at the Essex Studios in Walnut Hills Cincinnati. With the collection quickly outgrowing its rented space the ASM unveiled its permanent home in June 2012 in a former clothing factory in Camp Washington, just northwest of downtown Cincinnati. The renovated building features 19,000 square feet of exhibit space, 28-foot ceilings able to accommodate sizable outdoor signs, a working neon shop, flexible event space, and an archive of books, photos and documents reflecting the art, craft and history of sign-making. The museum covers more than 100 years of American sign history and displays more than 700 signs and artifacts, making it the most comprehensive museum of its kind.

The museum partners with the Institute for Museum and Library Service’s (IMLS) Museums for All and the Cincinnati Public Library’s Discovery Pass programs to offer free admission to underserved and economically challenged audiences while a collaboration with Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired produced self-guided tours printed in Braille and a large-font format to accommodate low-vision needs.

In 2022, the museum joined the Blue Star Museums Program, a yearly collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across America to offer free admission for the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families. Between May 21 and Sept. 5, the museum provided complimentary admission to over 750 military personnel.