A new colorfully electrifying museum has come to the City of Glendale – the Museum of Neon Art (MONA).
I stumbled across the museum while passing through Brand Boulevard a few weeks ago and finally got to check it out over the weekend. It’s quite an intriguing place, and personally that’s because I hadn’t actually been to a neon museum before.
MONA was formerly located in Downtown Los Angeles, but closed its doors in 2011. In its reopening in Glendale, it had its grand opening on February 6, so it was exciting to come by something so new. It At the moment, it is open from 12pm to 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 12pm to 5pm on Sundays.
Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors who are 65 and older, $4 for Glendale residents (ID required), free for children 12 and under with an adult, and free for members of MONA.
Entrance to the museum is found on the side of the building, perpendicular to Brand Boulevard, and the first thing visitors will walk into is a the gift shop. (It reminded me of the setup of New York’s Museum of Sex, which I wrote about in 2013. However, I didn’t take a photo of the gift shop.) The items for sale at the museum are very eye catching, so it’s easy to spend a couple of minutes just wandering around in front and examining the merchandise as if they were among the exhibits.
After paying the admission fee, you’ll get to walk to the opening located diagonally across from the entrance to view the collection.
The works on display are unquestionably fascinating and captivating. My favorites included Tannenbaum by Richard Ankrom and Decision Machine by Wayne Strattman.
However, the collection is a bit on the thin side at the moment. Perhaps it’s because MONA is still new. There’s also an electric lab on site, but it was closed when I visited.
MONA is a pretty cool place to stop by if you happen to be in Glendale and have some leisurely time to spare. You can expect to spend less than an hour browsing around. I think $8 might be a tad bit much for the limited collection, but if you’re interested in neon art and seeing something different if you haven’t seen this kind of art before, then the price shouldn’t be a deterrent. If you’re a senior/student with ID or a Glendale resident, then I would definitely put a few bucks in the pot to check this place out.
(Tip: There’s paid street parking available for $1, and there’s also 90 minutes of free parking in a structure located at 120 S Maryland Ave.)