In late February we kicked off our first educational event at our new Ne10 Studio space at 1001 W. Bonanza Road. Our 2018 scholar in residence, Christoph Ribbat, delivered a fascinating talk “Las Vegas Neon: Dreams & Delusions.” He focused on how different writers, artists and philosophers have viewed our city. His lecture focused on what he identified as a particular tribe of Las Vegas  tourists: writers, artists and philosophers.  He explored how the city’s neon played a central role in their dreams, delusions – and nightmares.  Through an examination of these neon travelogues, Ribbat revealed the place Las Vegas occupies in modern imagination.

A former Lynen Fellow at MIT/ Boston University and a Fulbright Scholar at the Cooper Union, New York City, Ribbat previously taught at the University of Basel in Switzerland. His books include “Flickering Light: A History of Neon” (2013) and “In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses” (2017).

Past Scholar in Residence Lectures:

2017: Martin Treu, “Selling with Signs: Las Vegas and the Placemaking Power of Commercial Streetscapes." Martin Treu is an architect, graphic designer, urbanist and author of Signs, Streets, and Storefronts: A History of Architecture and Graphics Along America’s Commercial Corridors.

2016: Stefan Al, “Bigger, Better and Brighter: The Evolution of Las Vegas Signs." Stefan Al is a Dutch architect, urban designer and Associate Professor of Urban Design at the University of Pennsylvania.

2015: Jesse Ragan, “Las Vegas Letters: Vernacular Inspiration in Typeface Design." Typography designer Jesse Ragan has created custom types and lettering for brands, publications and cultural institutions and co-founded the Type@Cooper postgraduate program at The Cooper Union.

2014: Leslie Luebbers, “Paul Revere Williams: The Architect in Las Vegas." Leslie Luebbers is the director of the Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM) and project director for the Paul Revere Williams Project.