Work from Morrell Park artist featured in neon exhibit
For years, neon signs have been associated with cheap beer and cheap motels. They were Nick Mancuso’s bread and butter.
Mancuso’s rowhome in Morrell Park is filled with a lifetime of neon. A signmaker since the 1940s and now retired, he spent decades bending glass tubes for beer signage. In his spare time, he would occassionally make neon gifts for his grandchildren.
He’s part of the increasingly rare tribe of signmakers who know how to bend glass tubes.
“Kids today, they’re scared of the mercury. That’s got mercury in it,” said Mancuso, pointing to the white Philadelphia Phillies neon baseball he made for his grandson. He then points to the ruby-red heart bearing the name Laura, his granddaughter. “That don’t.”
Read more about Mancuso and see examples of his work from our parters at NewsWorks.
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