Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery Sign Causes Stir

We appreciate any occasion when the national press focuses on signage. The debate between Donald Trump and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel over the Chicago Trump Tower sign grabbed headlines during June 2014. And, while this kerfuffle may not reach quite the same rhetorical fever pitch, it’s still engaging nonetheless.
According to the Washington Post, the venerable Smithsonian Institution and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) are locked in a standoff over signage installed at Washington, DC’s Renwick Gallery, where the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum houses its craft and decorative-art collections. The Renwick opened after a two-year, $30 million renovation; to culminate the upgrades, two new signs that face 17th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. – not far from the White House.
The sign incorporates the Museum’s traditional slogan, “Dedicated To Art”, but with a somewhat playful addition – above “To” and “Art” is the phrase “the future of” in lowercase, orange LED-illuminated letters, with an orange arrow between the capital letters pointing to it. NCPC Chairman L. Preston Bryant drafted a letter that vehemently opposed the signs’ purported noncompliance with federal historic-preservation laws. He wrote, “While we may on occasion disagree with planning and design principles, the integrity of our established, legal consultation and review process must be respected.”
In response, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton disputed the NCPC’s authority over signage. The Post article noted that, in 2007, the NCPC objected to signs installed at the Smithsonian’s Donald W. Reynolds Center; in that case, the signs remained intact.
These signs aren’t in violation of community standards, nor out of character for its surroundings. Let’s hope common sense prevails, with the signs left intact. If museums are going to hold the interest of younger and future generations, they must overcome the stereotype of being stuffy. Fun signage should play a part in this makeover.
For the full Post story, click here.