Madison is no Vegas, but this is exactly the point. Every urban landscape across the world has been touched by the visual language of neon signage. It can be baffling to grasp the reality by which every neon sign ever made in history—has been made by hand. Madison’s unique neon history includes the founding of the UW Neon Lab in 1987 in the UW-Madison Art Department. Here, students learn the hand skills of bending glass tubing into a pattern, filling it with a noble gas (such as neon or argon), and electrifying it to create luminous neon light. Artists trained in neon contribute to the broader landscape and history of neon in Madison, from industrial signage to contemporary fine art. The Glass Madison Neon Walking tour shares a curated selection of neon spanning typographic, iconographic, and illustrative uses of the medium to bring an appreciation for this craft to the Madison public.
Navigate the Glass Madison Neon Walking Tour directly on Google Maps.
Featured Highlights
The Glass Madison Neon Walking Tour Featured Highlights spotlights a dozen works of neon across Madison. This selection of iconic Madison neon was curated by Tom Zickuhr, with assistance from Helen Lee.
Walking Tour Routes
The Glass Madison Neon Walking Tour includes seven suggested routes to gain an appreciation of local neon, whether by foot, bike, or car. Preview the routes below.
- Forage Kitchen on State St.
- B-Side Records on State St.
- Badger Liquor Shop on State St.
- Red Rock Saloon on Gorham St.
- Parthenon Gyros on Henry St.
- The Orpheum Theater on State St.
- Tornado Steak House on W Main St.
- Settle Down Tavern on S Pinckney St.
- Majestic Theatre on King St.
- Wando’s on University Ave.
- Blue Lotus Tattoo & The Piercing Lounge on W Gilman Ave.
- Four Star Video Rental on Gilman Ave.
- Bassett Street Brunch Club on W Johnson St.
- Nitty Gritty on N Frances St.
- Art Lofts on N Frances St.
- Lark at Kohl on N Bedford St.
- Wiedenbeck Apartments on W Mifflin St.
- The Harvey House on W Washington Ave.
- Motorless Motion Bicycles on W Washington Ave.
UW Neon Lab History
In 1987, former Head of the Glass Lab Professor Emeritus Steve Feren approached Art Department Chair Bruce Breckenridge to propose building a neon shop in the UW Glass Lab. Feren secured a $2,000 grant and built the UW Neon Lab with the help of Fred Tschida, Alfred University Ceramics Professor. Classes in the new shop began swiftly and were very popular. Enthusiastic students showcased neon art pieces in exhibitions that drew large crowds from other schools. Feren organized intercollegiate Neon Biennial Light Shows, displayed around Madison’s Capitol building, the Stock Pavilion, Bascom Hill and across the U.S, including: New Orleans, Kent State, and the Appalachian School of Crafts.
Today, the UW Neon Lab is one of only a handful of fully-equipped neon facilities in academia, where students explore neon as a medium for artistic expression. The UW Neon Lab, tucked away in the Art Lofts, is brightly lit with glowing sculptures fabricated by past neon and glass alumni, creating an inspiring atmosphere for creativity. Under the guidance of lecturer Tom Zickuhr, who teaches the popular course “Neon: Light as Sculpture,” students are encouraged to push the boundaries of this highly technical and challenging art form. While neon was once primarily used for industrial and commercial signage, the UW Neon Lab fosters an approach to neon as a medium for innovative, contemporary art, emphasizing both technical proficiency and creative exploration.
About the Curator
Thomas Zickuhr is a neon artist and educator based in Madison, Wisconsin. Zickuhr was pursuing a degree in animation at the University of Colorado Boulder when he began working at a neon shop and learned the craft of neon bending on the job. After several years, he returned to Wisconsin where he pieced together work at various neon shops throughout the state and gradually built his expertise and reputation in the field.
In 2010, Zickuhr purchased Neon Lab, a commercial neon sign shop in Madison WI (not to be confused with the UW Neon Lab), from Denis Eckstein, a fellow neon bender. Since then, Neon Lab has operated as a wholesale business for other sign companies, providing neon to shops like Sign Art Studio, and handling restoration projects and other custom sign work. Zickuhr takes pride in managing 99% of the work himself, referring projects outside his scope of expertise to collaborators when needed.
In addition to running Neon Lab, Zickuhr has taught neon bending at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2017. As a lecturer in the Glass Lab’s “Neon: Light as Sculpture” course, he aims to inspire the next generation of neon artists. Zickuhr continues to create original neon works and exhibits his work both locally and nationally. His work has been featured at the Chazen Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Ken Saunders Gallery in Chicago. Zickuhr has also had the honor of fabricating work for artists such as Bruce Nauman and Helen Lee—experiences which have only deepened his passion for neon as an art form.
The Glass Madison Neon Walking Tour is supported by the Evjue Foundation and the Madison Arts Commission.
Creative Director: Helen Lee
Project Manager: Kagen Dunn
Neon Consultant and Curator: Tom Zickuhr
Neon Research Assistants: Skye Xollo and Daniella Thach
Graphic Designer: Ben Orozco
Photography: Jim Escalante