A Man of Letters
Noel B. Weber
February 5 - March 28, 2015

The art of sign making inserts nostalgia and atmosphere into the urban landscape, allowing the sign maker to place their thumbprint on the city. The work of Noel B. Weber has made a significant impact on the iconic style and cultural identity of Boise. In Weber’s retrospective, ‘A Man of Letters’ we celebrate 35 years of dedication to the craft of sign making and hand lettering, and his contributions to downtown that have shaped how we see it today.

Weber’s exhibition features years of pencils sketches, designs, finished glass work, and signs. Viewers will gain an understanding of the art of sign making through an introduction to tools of the trade, materials, techniques and process. A map of downtown Boise will be shown, indicating where Weber’s work can be seen when walking through the city.

Weber was classically trained at the Institute of Lettering & Design in Chicago. In 1975, he became a founding member of the ‘Letterheads,’ a group of artisans with the point of view to freely share traditional sign making skills, trade ‘secrets’, and knowledge, with the intention of preserving the craft for generations to come. Noel and his family moved to Idaho in 1979, where he established the award winning sign-shop Classic Design Studio, in downtown Boise.  Today, Weber continues his craft and remains committed to passing on the knowledge he has acquired throughout his career.

noelbweber.com

Photos by Sam Liberto