Meet the Letterheads: Keeping the Craft Alive

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Ten years ago this month, I was greeted at Minneapolis airport by temperatures of -16℃ (3°F) and a man with a fox on his head. That man was Mike Meyer, and I was visiting the USA for the first time to attend his Mazeppa Mardi Gras Letterheads meet. At the time, I didn’t know what to expect, nor that the trip would change my life.

'Wear the fox hat': meeting my ride to Mazeppa Mardi Gras in March 2014.

Letterheads Meets

The origins of the Letterheads movement were a series of gatherings of sign painting apprentices in Denver, Colorado, in the mid-1970s. To this day, its lifeblood remains those that are relatively new to the trade, with the broad aim of sharing knowledge, skills, and time with other like-minded craftspeople, invariably accompanied by liquid and other refreshments.

The 1982 'Boise BBQ' was one of the first large gatherings of the Letterheads, hosted by Noel B. Weber, one of the original founders.

Letterheads 'meets' (the correct term for these gatherings) can vary in size and format, from a few people getting together in a sign shop over a couple of beers, through to multi-day events with hundreds of international guests.

There is no fixed itinerary for a meet, although one of the staples is the 'panel jam'. This is simply people painting small signs and panels without the usual pressure of client work. The results are often humorous and creative, and are given to/swapped with others, or sold at a charity auction at the end of the meet.

The meet in full swing, panels, and the auction in Tokyo 2019. Photos: RIO.

Other elements can include: short workshops; formal and informal technical demonstrations; collaborative projects such as painting murals and vehicles; and things like talks, screenings, and local sign-spotting walks.

An Anarchic Organisation

Hosting a meet is a voluntary undertaking, and this approach has endured for nearly 50 years, with hundreds of events taking place around the world over that time. This is a remarkable achievement for what I have dubbed an 'anarchic organisation', as articulated in this segment from a Signs of the Times article by original Letterhead, Mart Oatis:

“It’s important that a formal organization — with officers, dues, etc. — is never made of the Letterheads. As long as things remain somewhat spontaneous, dependent upon individual effort and participation, things will remain fun. Give it a president and collect dues, and it becomes an establishment to rebel against. . . and sign artists are a typically rebellious lot, anyway.”

The Beginnings of a Movement by Mark Oatis Mark Oatis' 1985 article for Signs of the Times: 'The Beginnings of a Movement' The-Beginnings-of-a-Movement-by-Mark-Oatis.pdf • 3 MB

Going Global

Oatis was writing in 1985 on the tenth anniversary of the movement’s origins, and by that point it had spread across the USA and Canada. By the 1990s, meets were happening outside of North America, including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. (Those in Australia and New Zealand are annual affairs, and New Zealand celebrated its 25th anniversary event in 2022 after the Covid-induced hiatus.)

Some of the newbies at the 25th New Zealand Letterheads posing with their panels.

The release of Sign Painters in 2013 prompted a renewed interest in the Letterheads, as well as the craft of sign painting in general. One of the film’s most memorable contributions was from Keith Knecht (RIP), and includes him recounting his induction into the movement, and learning of its motto, IOAFS (look it up!), for the first time.

Rose and Mark Oatis donning (temporary) IOAFS tattoos at London Calling in 2018.

In the the decade following the film’s release there has been a flourishing of meets in Europe, with events held in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen (see BLAG 04), Glasgow (see BLAGs 01 and 03), Helsinki, London, Maidenhead, Norwich (see BLAG 01), Oslo, Porto, Rochester, and West Wycombe.

When Monocle Magazine Met the Letterheads in Amsterdam, 2016.

2019 saw the Letterheads land in Tokyo, Japan, and in 2023 the movement also reached Mexico. There was also an online manifestation in the midst of the pandemic in the form of Lockdown Letterheads, hosted live on Zoom over 24 hours in 2020.

I, Letterhead

I was one of those introduced to the Letterheads by the Sign Painters film, and one month after its 2014 London screenings, I was in the frozen Midwest town of Mazeppa, Minnesota, for Mike Meyer’s meet. He is a veteran host of numerous events, and one of my enduring memories was how welcoming and encouraging he and all of the 40 or so guests were. There was an overwhelming camaraderie, and I was like the proverbial kid in a candy store getting to watch all these professionals wielding their brushes in the flesh.

Working the reception desk at Mazeppa Mardi Gras with George (Geo) Brudos.

I’m not a sign painter, but was quickly adopted as a Letterhead—perhaps due to my work on ghost signs—and was instantly hooked. I attended my next meet in Rochester, UK, that same year, and then made it back to America for the 40th anniversary event at The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2015.

In 2018, I had the privilege of being part of the team that hosted the international London Calling meet on the banks of the Thames. This welcomed 250 guests from 30 countries to my home city for the first time, with four days of panel jamming, workshops, demonstrations, talks, screenings, and excursions. (I reflected on the experience in this post last year.)

Panel jamming, the welcome lobby, and the gilding workshop at London Calling 2018.

Many that I’ve spoken to since the London event described it as a life-changing experience, much like mine in Mazeppa. In some sense, this is the way of the Letterheads: passing on the ethos, and inspiring others to do the same, as Mike did for me. And, as we head towards the 50th anniversary meet in 2025, the movement shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Letterheads Reviews

Letterheads Meet Reviews on BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)

Reviews, photo galleries, and films of Letterheads meets. IOAFS.

BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture •Better Letters

Future Meets

BLAG Events

Sign painting, sign and lettering events organised by BLAG (Better Letters Magazine).

BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture •Better Letters