STEVE FITCH – AMERICAN MOTEL SIGNS
2024-07-01This solo exhibition will showcase a selection of color photographs from the artist’s roadside survey of the signage that adorns these traditional, mid-century mom-and-pop lodgings.
Lit by neon and designed with flair, they came to be known as “motels,” a name coined by the owner of the Milestone Mo-Tel (an abbreviation of “motor hotel”) in San Luis Obispo, California, the world’s first motel, which opened in 1925. In their heyday, motels were ubiquitous along American highways and byways, numbering over 60,000 by 1964.
Opposite – Deming, New Mexico, 1992
Exhibition runs through to August 31st, 2024
Joseph Bellows Gallery
7661 Girard Avenue
La Jolla
CA 92037