Caffé Vita

Object/Artifact

-

Museum of Neon Art

Name/Title

Caffé Vita

Entry/Object ID

2020.6.1

Description

Animated clown raises and lowers his coffee cup while balancing. From coffee shop at 4459 Sunset Blvd. in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. Text: "CAFFÉ VITA"

Category

Signs

Made/Created

Artist

Kelsey Fernkopf

Manufacturer

Western Neon of Seattle

Date made

circa 2013

Dimensions

Dimension Notes

Double-sided

Interpretative Labels

Label

Caffé Vita 2013 4459 Sunset Boulevard, Los Feliz, Los Angeles Donated by Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Co. Sign bent by Kelsey Fernkopf Caffé Vita opened its Los Feliz space in February 2013, across from the Vista Theatre. The LA storefront was an outpost for the Seattle-based coffee roaster. Established in 1995 as an independent and locally-owned company, Vita was part of the “third-wave” coffee movement. The animated blade sign features the company's logo design, an Italian clown holding a cup. The image reinforces the link to Italian espresso. The clown balances on a table while they raise and lower the cup. Tight and expertly-bent serif lettering demonstrates the bending skills of Kelsey Fernkopf, co-founder and instructor at Western Neon in Seattle.