Stepping into the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale might provoke some sensory overload.

The exhibit gallery is darkened, almost entirely lit by its art displays, sculptures and reclaimed signs. Every color is represented, and blinking patterns in some of the examples add the feeling of motion. The gases inside the tubes create a vibrating effect on the light, and there is buzzing about.

“There is so much that is fascinating about this material,” said Corrie Siegel, executive director of the museum. “What we have going for us is that most people have an image of what neon is. It’s something that’s available in the built landscape. It has multinational and multiethnic connotations.”

Formed by a neon artist and a high schooler in 1981, the museum served as a beacon to promote interest and preservation of the medium when popular sentiment was moving against it thanks to its association with the seedier element. After a couple of stints downtown and one on the Universal CityWalk Hollywood, the museum settled in Glendale in 2016.

It celebrates the myriad artists who have used the medium to mold sets and installations to address tragedies, existential crises, cultural moments and the whimsical. In an effort to promote the continued existence of neon signage in public, the museum does not seek to acquire operating examples from businesses. It will, however, take possession of examples being decommissioned.

Outside of the displays there, the institution also offers guided tours throughout the Los Angeles area to highlight prominent examples of neon displays and dive into the history of the neighborhoods. It also offers classes on how to make neon art, allowing patrons to craft a piece to take home with them.

Siegel noted that the museum covers a lot of ground: outside of art, it’s also an institution concerned with history, electricity, physics and chemistry.

“One of the things that we face a lot is that it’s really hard to categorize the museum,” she observed. “It’s social history, but it also celebrates the craft of glassblowing and it’s also fine art. There are many contemporary artists who use that medium and continue to use it in exciting ways.”