# Michael Flechtner
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{{short description|American artist}}
'''Michael Robert Flechtner''' (born June 19, 1951) is an American artist known for his work in [neon art](/source/neon_art). In 2009 he was commissioned by the [United States Postal Service](/source/United_States_Postal_Service) to create the first-ever neon postage stamp for the [Forever Stamp](/source/Forever_Stamp) series. The "Celebrate" stamp was released in 2011.[{{cite web |title=SoCal Artist Creates First-Ever Neon Postage Stamp |url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/SoCal-Artist-Creates-First-Ever-Neon-Postage-Stamp-119888859.html |website=nbclosangeles.com |date=14 April 2011 |publisher=NBC |accessdate=20 August 2019}}] The stamp was reissued in 2015, and the original {{convert|33|x|44|in|cm|adj=on}} neon is on exhibit at the Smithsonian [National Postal Museum](/source/National_Postal_Museum).[{{cite web |title=Arago People Postage and the Post |url=https://arago.si.edu/record_245430_img_1.html |website=postalmuseum.si.edu |accessdate=22 August 2019}}]
Flechtner graduated with a degree in Fine Arts in 1981 from [Columbus College of Art and Design](/source/Columbus_College_of_Art_and_Design).[{{cite web |url= https://my.ccad.edu/blogs/alumnus-designs-uspss-first-neon-stamp |title= Alumnus designs USPS's first neon stamp|work= My CCAD}}] An Ohio native, with a Masters in Fine Art (sculpture & painting) from [Wichita State University](/source/Wichita_State_University), Flechtner moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, inspired first by the artist [Stephen Antonakos](/source/Stephen_Antonakos) and subsequent visit to the [Museum of Neon Art](/source/Museum_of_Neon_Art) (MONA), then located in Downtown Los Angeles.[{{cite web |last1=Modesti |first1=Kevin |title=For Valley 'neon artist' – it's all about the light |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2011/01/22/for-valley-neon-artist-ndash-its-all-about-the-light/ |website=dailynews.com |date=22 January 2011 |accessdate=20 August 2019 |ref=dailynews}}] Flechtner now sits on MONA's advisory board.[{{cite web |url=https://www.neonmona.org/about/ |title=about |website=mona.org |publisher=Museum of Neon Art |accessdate=20 August 2019}}]
Flechtner says his fascination with light began when he was a child: "I’d go to church and see light streaming through the stained glass windows, my father, replacing bulbs sitting in a pile Christmas lights and various flavors of Jell-O."[{{cite web |title=Neon art, printmaking and chambers of the heart explored at CI art shows |url=https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/2015-ciartshows.htm |publisher=csuci.edu |accessdate=20 August 2019 |ref=csuci.edu}}] His public art includes "A Neon Aquarium" at the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle in Los Angeles, and installations in Minneapolis and Tokyo.[{{cite web |title=MICHAEL FLECHTNER: THIS IS NOT A SIGN |url=https://artillerymag.com/events/michael-flechtner-this-is-not-a-sign/ |website=artillerymag.com |publisher=Artillery Magazine |accessdate=20 August 2019 |ref=artillery}}] In 2019 he began the physical reproduction and replacement of the neon signage at the drive-in movie theater in his home town of [Tiffin, Ohio](/source/Tiffin%2C_Ohio).[{{cite web |last1=Nye |first1=Bret |title=First phase of Tiffin Drive-In neon sign restoration is complete |url=https://www.advertiser-tribune.com/news/local-news/2019/08/first-phase-of-tiffin-drive-in-neon-sign-restoration-is-complete/ |website=advertiser-tribune.com |accessdate=20 August 2019}}]
Flechtner is the recipient of a [J. Paul Getty Trust](/source/J._Paul_Getty_Trust) Fund Fellowship for the Visual Arts, the Botticelli Award, and [Ford Foundation](/source/Ford_Foundation) Award.