U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549

                                     FORM 4

                  STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

                                                         OMB APPROVAL
                                             OMB Number                3235-0287
                                             Expires:          December 31, 2001
                                             Estimated average burden
                                             hours per response..............0.5

    Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
       Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
               Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

[_]  Check box if no longer  subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations
     may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

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1.   Name and Address of Reporting Person*
    Vars                             Gary                  L.
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   (Last)                           (First)             (Middle)
    5025 Cheshire Lane North
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                                    (Street)
    Plymouth                          MN                 55446
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   (City)                           (State)              (Zip)

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2.   Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
     Insignia Systems, Inc. (ISIG)
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3.   IRS Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an Entity (Voluntary)

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4.   Statement for Month/Year
     May, 2001
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5.   If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)

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6.   Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer
     (Check all applicable)
     [X]  Director                             [_]  10% Owner
     [X]  Officer (give title below)           [_]  Other (specify below)

     Chairman, EVP/Gen Mgr. POPS Division
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7.   Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check applicable line)

     [X]  Form filed by one Reporting Person
     [_]  Form filed by more than one Reporting Person
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           Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of,
                             or Beneficially Owned
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                                                                                                                6.
                                                                 4.                              5.             Owner-
                                                                 Securities Acquired (A) or      Amount of      ship
                                                    3.           Disposed of (D)                 Securities     Form:     7.
                                                    Transaction  (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)             Beneficially   Direct    Nature of
                                      2.            Code         ------------------------------- Owned at End   (D) or    Indirect
1.                                    Transaction   (Instr. 8)                   (A)             of Month       Indirect  Beneficial
Title of Security                     Date          ------------     Amount      or     Price    (Instr. 3      (I)       Ownership
(Instr. 3)                            (mm/dd/yy)     Code     V                  (D)             and 4)         (Instr.4) (Instr. 4)
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Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
          owned directly or indirectly.
*If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person see Instruction 4(b)(v).

           POTENTIAL PERSONS WHO ARE TO RESPOND TO THE COLLECTION OF
         INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS FORM ARE NOT REQUIRED TO RESPOND
         UNLESS THE FORM DISPLAYS A CURRENTLY VALID OMB CONTROL NUMBER.
                                                                          (Over)
                                                                 SEC 1474 (3-99)



FORM 4 (continued)

Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
            (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

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                                                                                                                    10.
                                                                                                          9.        Owner-
                                                                                                          Number    ship
                                                                                                          of        Form
                    2.                                                                                    Deriv-    of
                    Conver-                    5.                              7.                         ative     Deriv-   11.
                    sion                       Number of                       Title and Amount           Secur-    ative    Nature
                    or                         Derivative    6.                of Underlying     8.       ities     Secur-   of
                    Exer-             4.       Securities    Date              Securities        Price    Bene-     ity:     In-
                    cise     3.       Trans-   Acquired (A)  Exercisable and   (Instr. 3 and 4)  of       ficially  Direct   direct
                    Price    Trans-   action   or Disposed   Expiration Date   ----------------  Deriv-   Owned     (D) or   Bene-
1.                  of       action   Code     of(D)         (Month/Day/Year)            Amount  ative    at End    In-      ficial
Title of            Deriv-   Date     (Instr.  (Instr. 3,    ----------------            or      Secur-   of        direct   Owner-
Derivative          ative    (Month/  8)       4 and 5)      Date     Expira-            Number  ity      Month     (I)      ship
Security            Secur-   Day/     ------   ------------  Exer-    tion               of      (Instr.  (Instr.   (Instr.  (Instr.
(Instr. 3)          ity      Year)    Code V    (A)   (D)    cisable  Date     Title     Shares  5)       4)        4)       4)
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Incentive Option    $7.87    5/17/01   A    V   100,000       *       5/17/11  C.S.      100,000          100,000    D
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Explanation of Responses:

*50,000 shares beginning December 31, 2001 and 50,000 shares beginning December
 31, 2002.

        /s/ Gary Vars                                            6/5/01
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      **Signature of Reporting Person                             Date


**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal
  Violations.

SEE 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

Note:  File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
       If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.

Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained
in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently
valid OMB Number.
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