As a special feature of the Mazeppa Mardi Gras Sign Painters Meet, Mike Meyer is bringing this documentary to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 ages 3-18. Doors open at 6:45 pm. Mike Meyer will introduce the film and host a Question and Answer session.

There was a time, as recently as the 1980s, when storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards, and even street signs were all handlettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the technofueled promise of quicker and cheaper. The resulting proliferation of computer designed, diecut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our landscape. Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade. In 2010 filmmakers Faythe Levine, coauthor of Handmade Nation, and Sam Macon began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time honored methods, and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship. Sign Painters, the first anecdotal history of the craft, features stories and photographs of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States. With a foreword by legendary artist (and former sign painter) Ed Ruscha, this vibrant book profiles sign painters young and old, from the new vanguard working solo to collaborative shops such as San Francisco’s New Bohemia Signs and New York’s Colossal Media’s Sky High Murals.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. MN. 507-732-5210.