The Neon Museum

Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. The Neon Museum campus includes the outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, a visitors’ center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby and the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which houses additional rescued signs and is available for weddings, special events, photo shoots and educational programs.

Dedicated individuals from the private sector, as well as corporate and government entities, worked collaboratively to promote the preservation of these national treasures as significant pieces of artistic and historical importance. Each sign in The Neon Museum’s collection offers a unique story about the personalities who created it, what inspired it, where and when it was made, and the role it played in Las Vegas’ distinctive history.

In addition, The Neon Museum collection chronicles changes and trends in sign design and technology through pieces ranging from the 1930s to the present day.

Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the Museum’s ongoing projects.

The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 as a partnership between the Allied Arts Council of Southern
Nevada and the City of Las Vegas. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the
mission of collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic,
arts and cultural enrichment. Dedicated individuals from the private sector, as well as corporate and
government entities, worked collaboratively to promote the preservation of these national treasures as
significant pieces of artistic and historical importance. Each of the more than 600 signs in the Neon
Museum’s collection offers a unique story about the personalities who created it, what inspired it, where
and when it was made, and the role it played in Las Vegas’ distinctive history. In addition, the Neon
Museum collection chronicles changes and trends in sign design and technology through pieces ranging
from the 1930s to the present day.
Since its inception, funding for the Neon Museum has been provided through both private and public
sources. Private funding includes revenue generated by ticket sales for tours of the Neon Boneyard and
Brilliant!; for fees from personal, commercial and retail photo shoots; and from membership sales.
Donations from individuals, businesses and from corporate foundations have also been significant to the
museum’s ongoing preservations efforts.
Public funding sources include grants from the Nevada Commission on Cultural Affairs, the Las Vegas
Centennial Commission, the Nevada Legislature, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors’ Authority and a
grant to the City of Las Vegas from the National Scenic Byways program for the La Concha Visitor Center
build-out. The City also received Federal Southern Nevada Public Land Management funds to add a park
and parking lot as part of the Museum’s overall campus. The City of Las Vegas remains supportive of the
Neon Museum and its efforts as evidenced in its commitment to leasing the Museum campus land for 50
years at $1 per year. The City also continues to work with the Museum in its development and
implementation of the Scenic Byways/Las Vegas Boulevard signs project, which restores and relocates
signs from the Neon Museum collection onto Las Vegas Boulevard in downtown.
The approximately three-acre Neon Museum campus includes the outdoor exhibition space known as
the Neon Boneyard, the North Gallery, South (Boulevard) Gallery, Neon Boneyard Park, and a visitors’
center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. Nine signs from the museum are also installed
as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas. Programming and engagement initiatives consist of
lectures, panel discussions, national artist residency, and a full calendar of educational and arts
programming.