American Collectors

"Meeting the Collectors"
When we began making this film I wasn't sure how easy it would to get people to engage with us. Collectors have a reputation of being quirky,anti social and reclusive. Luckily, we found many of them were very excited to be part of a film and grateful to have an audience that wanted to hear about their collection! Their collecting interests were varied but the enthusiasm and passion about what they do was contagious and surprisingly very emotionally moving. Bob and I are extremely thankful to all the collectors that helped us make this film.
"More-itis"
The term more-itis comes up in the film and I think almost everyone has been affected by this malady at one time. I certainly have succumbed and the evidence is there when I look in my shoe closet! In our consuming society we seem to attach a magical quality to our possesions. Taken too far, it may be an impediment for more meaningful experiences. The question is, how far is too far and who gets to decide?

- Bellingham Mays Arts Award, Best Film Directors Winner
- Seattle True Independent Film Festival
- Northwest Film & Video Festival
- Northwest Projections Film Festival
- Tacoma Film festival
- Featured on King 5 New's Evening Magazine, Bellingham Herald April 2009, What's Up Magazine

The idea of this film began many years ago when I was on a cross country road trip staying at a tiny campground somewhere in the vast Midwest.
The proprietor of the campground mini mart said, ""Oh so you like antiques, do you want to see my collection of irons? " I was intrigued enough to say yes and followed him to a building next to the store. As I walked over to the pole building I was thinking of the many ways that I could politely bow out if the collection was boring. How interesting are irons anyway?
Inside the building was a veritable museum of the past 300 years of development of domestic technology. I spent the most fascinating hour learning about irons and how people took care of clothing. I marveled at the skill it took to make those incredible Elizabethan pleats. His passion and enthusiasm for this symbol of domestic drudgery was contagious and the time flew by!
I began to think, if this amazing collection is here in this most unlikely place, what else do people have tucked away under their beds and in their back rooms and how can I get to see them?
Years later, Bob Ridgley and I decided to pursue this idea for a film. Our questions were, what is it about some people that they accumulate such large collections of things? How are they different from the rest of us? Are we as Americans with our wealth of space more inclined to accumulate so much stuff?