Meeting Nº11: 'Sign Painters' screening recap

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SP8_therobledo (Photo credit: Ivonne Robledo)

After months of planning and weeks of work, the day had finally arrived. On Wednesday, August 21, we  gathered early at Swipe Design to prep for our first big screening of 'Sign Painters: The Movie'. With the help of the Swipe staff, we set up in the Urbanspace gallery, which comfortably held 100 seats. We also had tables for snacks, sign-up sheets and swag. (Thanks Fran, Kara, Kellie & Mike for helping to set up!)

Kyle had even prepared some fantastic "Reserved" signs for our special guests.

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And we did not forget the popcorn, in special Ligatures-stamped bags (thanks, Leslie!)

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The crowd slowly started to pour in around 6:30, and by 7:00, it was a full house, with nearly every seat taken.

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Just after 7:00, we got things started. Chris Rouleau grabbed the microphone and welcomed everyone to the special event.

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After a quick review of the Ligatures mandate and a plug of Ligatures' upcoming events, he went on to thank the sponsors for the evening: Fair Goods, Swipe Design | Books + Objects & Typostrophe. The evening was made extra special with homemade baked goods provided by Hart Felt Kitchen. Thanks again, Sharon!

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On Wednesday, we were honoured to have Mr. Wayne Reuben join us for the screening. Wayne is one of the two remaining sign painters at Toronto world-famous department store, Honest Ed's. He even took time to do a few photos ops after the film. Thank again, Wayne!

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(Photo credit: Mirela Z.)

On Thursday night, we did it all over again and presented our second sold-out screening to another crowd of 100 sign lovers. More popcorn, more treats, and more good times were had by all.

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(Photo credit: Suzanne Long)

But perhaps the best part about Thursday: Wayne Reuben was kind enough to invite his fellow Honest Ed's signpainter, Mr. Douglas ("Dougie") Kerr, to the film screening. Dougie certainly made the evening extra special, and he was eager to chat with folks after the show. Thank you Dougie for joining us!

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(Photo credit: Marie Rupolo)

We couldn't be more pleased with the turnout of these screenings and the warm reception from the community. Wednesday night's screening sold out in less than 10 hours, sparking the Thursday screening, which sold out in less than 28 hours. We are so happy that we were able to present the premiere of this film to Toronto. Sign painting has deep roots in Toronto, with Honest Ed's being a perfectly preserved example of this disappearing art form. More broadly, the film presents larger concerns with urbanism, commercialism, and mass-production (versus the hand-made), and we are glad to ignite these important discussions in our city.

Thanks to everyone who joined us – we hope to see you all again soon!