An Essay on the Simple Joys of Gathering Treasures by Kathleen Kvern



EVERY KID KNOWS THE SIMPLE JOY OF COLLECTING. Prying unusual rocks from trails, stuffing shells into buckets at the beach, dolls, stuffed animals, stamps—kids instinctively know what they like as well as the pleasure of seeing it all together. My daughter has what she calls her "special spot"—the top of her bureau—for all of the collectibles she deems worthy. With no concern for what I think she’s arranged together snow globes, bits of string from God-knows-what, cheap souvenirs, assorted stamps, colorful pieces of glass, and a myriad of other specimens. Not only is each item catalogued in her mind, she knows exactly where each piece belongs on the “special spot”. Once I tried to tidy this spot, removing objects I thought were tacky or, frankly, just not that special. My daughter was furious and she had a right to be.


It makes no difference if I like my daughter’s collection, much less understand it. She is the curator and this is her cabinet of curiosities, her installation piece. This collection is a treasure trove of beloved objects collected and displayed simply for her own enjoyment. And above my daughter’s special spot hangs a photograph by a local artist whose work also hangs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The photo is a piece in my own treasured collection.


It turns out that I’m a bit like my daughter: our house is my “special spot” and I want to fill it with objects that make me happy. I subscribe to ARTnews and get their lists of the world’s top collectors; and I read in art blogs about the unprecedented prices fetched for art by celebrity artists. I also happen to work for an institution with Picassos hanging on the walls. But to me, art appreciation has nothing to do with market appreciation.


As I fill my middle-class home with pieces I love, I consider myself a collector of art too. A few of the pieces I have acquired are by artists with national reputations, but that’s just a happy accident. The notion of buying art as a commodity is not only way beyond my financial means, it just doesn’t interest me.As it happens, most of the art I’ve purchased or received as a gift was created by a Minnesota artist. This desire to collect locally-produced artwork started before I began my work with mnartists.org. I wanted to support artists I knew, those that lived in my community. I can’t afford to buy art frequently, so when I hang a new piece on the wall it’s like adding a member to the family (and even better, it’s a family member I never get sick of).


I’ll bet you know what I’m talking about. If you’re reading access+ENGAGEor if you’re a member of mnartists.org, then I’m preaching to the choir. You probably already know the thrill of picking up a one-of-a-kind piece made by an artist whose work you’ve long loved or just recently discovered. Like my daughter, you know the simple joy of adding a treasured piece to your own collection—hanging a beloved painting on your wall or placing a piece of sculpture in just the right spot in the living room.


And now it’s time for show-and-tell. If you’ve been gathering artwork by Minnesota artists, we’d like to see your treasures. Email us at access.engage@mnartists.org and tell us about the pieces you feel the need to keep close at hand or about the Minnesota artists whose work you’re driven to collect.For all the rest of you magpies out there: share your collections with us!




About the writer: Kathleen Kvern is Project Director for mnartists.org and a proud collector of work by Minnesota’s hugely talented artists.

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