Collections from Our Community

The Community Collections case in the lobby of the Lyndon House Arts Center offers a chance to view hidden treasures from our Athens-area community. Athenians are invited to propose their collections for display by emailing lyndonhouse@accgov.com. Collections rotate regularly, and collectors are encouraged to host a talk, demonstration, or activity relevant to their collection. This is a fun way to connect with your community and learn something new!

Collections are currently scheduled through the end of 2025.

Art Rosenbaum's Collection

April 3, 2025 - June 14, 2025

Art Rosenbaum, whose solo exhibition is on display in the Lukasiewicz Gallery, was a collector of many things, including vintage stereoscopes, musical instruments, music recordings, models of ships, horses, and the human body, and paint, whether that be on a canvas, a palette, or in a tube. These assorted treasures surrounded Rosenbaum in his studio and sometimes found their way into his artwork. An object that he only had one of, though: a Grammy Award, given in 2008 for the category Best Historical Album for his collection Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum. We are honored to display it here amongst a sampling of other ephemera from his studio.

Victoria Dugger's Jet Magazine Collection

January 16, 2025 - March 22, 2025

My collection on display is a curated assortment of vintage Jet magazines, a testament to the rich tapestry of Black culture, history, and excellence captured through decades of publication. Collecting these magazines is both a personal passion and an act of preservation—each issue a vibrant time capsule of Black life, from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

The covers themselves are bold and beautiful, featuring everything from black leaders to iconic entertainers, groundbreaking athletes, and trends of the time. Inside, the stories reflect triumphs, struggles, and cultural milestones that remain deeply relevant today. The advertisements, too, serve as cultural artifacts, showcasing the evolution of beauty standards, fashion, and Black entrepreneurship.

Each issue in my collection highlights a specific theme or era, whether it’s the black entertainment, civil rights moments, or the golden age of R&B and hip-hop. What I love most about sharing this collection is the way these magazines bring people together. Jet was created to uplift, inform, and celebrate, and displaying these issues allows me to do the same!

John Stephenson's Deco Era Radio Collection

November 22, 2024 – January 11, 2025

Like many people, I have always been fascinated by the idea of radio. The fact that invisible waves can pass through air, buildings and our bodies, and end up as music and speech in our ears, seems like nothing but magic. As a child I received a gift of a crystal radio kit- a couple of simple electronic components that could be assembled by an eight-year-old, to receive radio signals through headphones without even the need for electricity- through the truly magical seeming receiving element of a mineral crystal.

I grew up during the latter period of the heyday of the radio as a popular phenomenon in America. If radio still exists in some form today, it was a central part of people's daily lives in the first half of the twentieth century. After the invention of the first simple crystal radios, the major phase of radio's development arose from the invention of electrical vacuum tubes, which could amplify incoming waves loud enough to broadcast through speakers. By the early 1930's, the majority of America's homes included a big tube radio- maybe you've seen old photos of the whole family gathered around a tall standing radio as if around some primeval fire, avidly listening to favorite shows shared by the whole country. That image was reinforced by the uncanny deep yellow orange glow produced by the radio's high voltage vacuum tubes, glowing out from the rear of the wooden cabinet while a mesmerizing incandescent light shined from the glass dial on the front. Due to the need for large cabinets to contain the electronic parts, and due to a Victorian heritage of domestic interior design that valued wood furniture and references to historic esthetic styles, these early standing radios were conceived visually as pieces of traditional furniture.

One irony for those who love the appearance of early radios as objects, is that radio cabinet design began as wholly incidental to the functional miracle of the radio itself. If Americans marveled at the emanation of their favorite music, drama and news right out of thin air, the box that housed the electronic magic was not prioritized, while its wood material tended to recede into the domestic background.

A major change in radio design emerged in the early 30's, which was the invention of the earliest plastics. This period saw the invention of a casting material called Bakelite, a dark brown substance which began the development of casting resins leading to the plastics we know well today. Bakelite was a strange material that has been described as a conglomerate of crushed coal and petroleum, that was heated several times and ended up as the first viable casting material for objects. Soon after its invention, Bakelite began being used to cast the housings of radios of the era. At the same time, innovations in electronic component design enabled the shrinking of the big cabinets down to the familiar size of table-top radios. In terms of design, a certain conservatism led early Bakelite to be used to create cabinets familiar from earlier years- dark brown like wood, and deploying rather staid design motifs such as in Gothic and Victorian style furniture design.By the early to mid-thirties however, a few radio designers began to realize the potential of early plastics to create all manner of eccentric and novel radio cases. This movement was really a part of the emerging twentieth century styles of art deco, and of what has been called streamlining in all manner of industrial design.

Think of early diesel bullet trains, of the streamlined cars, of early airplanes and jets of the thirties and forties. Soon radios took on these same stylistic features - ones that expressed speed, optimism, sophistication and urbanity in American culture.

The radios you see exhibited here were a part of this streamlining design movement, with their curves, fins, ziggurat like profiles and mostly cast Bakelite cabinets. As such they are important examples of a design revolution in the early to mid-twentieth century, as most here date from the mid-thirties to early fifties.

Notice one radio in particular: the Fada "bullet" radio in a caramel color with blue and red details. This radio was not cast in Bakelite, but in a rare and expensive material called Catalin. Catalin was the first clear casting resin, that could be colored in a vast range of exciting bright colors, and that finally broke from the dark coloristic tradition of wood and Bakelite radios. However, this material was difficult to handle and required castings to set up for days in lead molds, that had to be melted down for each new piece. And the finished material was fragile- it did not well handle the high heat of the radio tubes, leading to near universal burn marks, and it had no anti UV protection, so that every color produced has changed over the years. This yellowed "Patriot edition" Fada radio was originally white, to create a red, white and blue object that was briefly sold in the U.S. as we entered World War II. These Catalin radios were so fragile and rare that only a few survive today, and the tiny few still in really good condition have sold for as much as ten thousand dollars!

Ahndhi Sticha's Collection of VHS Tapes

September 3, 2024 - November 15, 2024

For people only slightly older than me, VHS home video was a revolution (ignoring Betamax). Movies were suddenly available to the masses at an almost affordable price in a very convenient format. In fact, the format was so convenient that people could even record their own videos. Camcorders could capture live moments, but with a VCR and a few cords from Radio Shack - or the local equivalent - people could copy VHS tapes or even record television programming.

The convenience of the format also lead to the rise of the once ubiquitous video rental store. Chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video dominated certain markets, but in many places the long fingers of capitalism hadn't yet destroyed the mom and pops and local chains. Even more, the selection of available movies varied hugely and finding a store that matched your tastes could be challenging, especially outside of large metros.

As a child, I spent a lot of time at Vidiots, our local independent video store. On weekends my mom would drive an hour into Chicago to work a late Friday shift and two doubles at the hospital. So dad-weekend always began with a trip to the video store for the 5 for 5 for $5 deal, five movies for five days for $5. It was our ritual for years. We followed them through multiple locations, each a little bigger than the last, until eventually they took up two large storefronts on main street, one of which also contained an arcade and LAN gaming setup where I spent hours throughout high school.

What I remember most is combing through the racks of movies and all the rows of VHS boxes and their cover art. I have always judged by the cover. It was endlessly fascinating to browse and try to decipher if that movie would appeal to me. Some were beautiful, others interesting or even obtuse, and some disgusting or terrifying. I remember many of them.

Collecting VHS has a very similar appeal. Finding a large pile of videos tucked away in the back of a junk shop or thrift store gives me a hit of giddy joy knowing that I can pore through the boxes and hopefully find a gem that I simply must see. Sometimes I find tapes that I remember, but never got a chance to watch "last time" and sometimes I find tapes that I never knew I wanted to watch before it was in my hand. Of course I have a loose list of things I'm always looking for and a few holy grails, but usually I'm just browsing.

This selection of videos isn't necessarily the "best" from my collection, but rather it's a variety of movies that hold strong memories for me. They're arranged in a loose categorical way - with some mini-collections throughout - meant to compare and contrast themes, genres, performances, and styles. Whether it's nostalgic for you too or a rare experience, please enjoy browsing!

-Ahndhi Stitcha

Mac Little's Collection of Flying Discs

On Thursday, August 1st, we enjoyed a collector talk and throwing demonstration with Mac Little. After learning the stories behind his discs, we head to the North Lawn where we all practiced throwing discs ourselves!

“When a ball dreams, it dreams it’s a frisbee.” -Stancil Johnson

I have been competitively throwing frisbees for over 15 years, which includes five glorious years playing for the University of Georgia’s club Ultimate program. Like a lot of Ultimate players, I picked up disc golf during the pandemic, which brought a completely new perspective and discipline to the art of throwing a piece of plastic.

What unites the two flying disc sports is what we like to call “the bug”, a condition in which a new player quickly becomes obsessed with this seemingly silly activity. Symptoms of this bug include playing every chance you get, scouring the internet for any videos related to the sport (which has become exponentially easier compared to when I started), and gradually coalescing into a surprisingly large and equally infected community.

I’d like to think that the last part, the community, is what is on display here at the Lyndon House. Because with community, we not only get the personal connections we make with our fellow flying disc enthusiasts, but also the rich, colorful history of what came before us. I’m aware that the words “rich”, “colorful” and “frisbee” lend themselves to strong visions of American counterculture. While that’s undoubtedly true, this collection is an attempt to showcase something a little more simple: pure, uncontaminated expression.

As the quote above so succinctly states, the flight of a football or basketball is tethered to a certain return to the ground. A flying disc? Sure, after losing its spin and momentum, it to will eventually come back to earth, but that moment of flight, glide is an inspiring parallel to what happens when we seek to express ourselves. With a little bit of aim and a pop of force and momentum, we put the disc in flight, a blatant mockery of the forces and realities of gravity.

A couple of specifics on the collection:

All of the ultimate discs and memorabilia from the 1980’s were given to me by Mark Farrar, a fellow UGA ultimate alumni. I met Mark a few years ago at the annual college national championships and he just so happened to have a lot of great mementos from the early days of UGA Ultimate.

The Flying Eye Open is a disc golf tournament held at The Crucible, a legendary disc golf course just a few miles north from here. When I started playing disc golf in Athens, I had heard whispers about a course that was only available to play during the tournament. When I got a chance to play the tournament last year, I fully understood why it was held in such high regard. It’s easily one of the best courses in Georgia and my hope is that it can be fully open for play year-round some day in the future. Special thanks to Nate Wickander for loaning me past Flying Eye Open discs for this collection.

My hope is that one or two discs in this collection catch your eye and inspire you to pick up a disc (or two, three…) and marvel at the flight.

-Mac Little

Nate Mitchell's Collection of 45 Record Boxes

About the collection:

"My collection on display is a fine assortment of carry cases designed to fit seven-inch vinyl records, aka “singles” or "45s," since they typically have one song per side and play at 45 revolutions per minute. Collecting these cases is a combination of practicality and decorative flourish. Each little box tends to have a unique color, pattern, or design and will house a specific subgenre of music (i.e., rockabilly, surf, British invasion, garage rock, soul, funk, disco, jazz, etc.).

45s originated in the early 50s, and carry cases became a common accessory shortly thereafter. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, toting a box of 45s to a friend’s house was a pretty typical way for young people to share music with one another. Nowadays, I’m usually bringing one of these boxes to share my music via a DJ gig.

I really like the visual aesthetic of the record labels, picture sleeves, and carry cases, as well as the extra punch of the songs themselves. 45’s play louder and hit harder than full-length albums. Portability is a plus!” -Nate Mitchell

Ilka McConnell's Collection of Pyrex

The Lyndon House Arts Center’s Collections from our Community features unique collections of objects found in the closets, cabinets, shelves of Athens-area citizens. This winter, we have the pleasure of hosting a variety of Pyrex casseroles and dishware from the collection of Ilka McConnell.

“The delight of Pyrex began with a set of Pyrex Daisy pattern mixing bowls my Mom received from my Great-Grandmother that we used for all sorts of recipes growing up. Those cheerful yellow bowls with the little flowers have always been such a burst of sunshine in her kitchen. To outfit my first apartment after college in the late 1990s, I went to many garage sales, and scored the first gem: a small yellow Pyrex casserole dish for $3. A little blue thrift-store markdown Pyrex bowl soon joined it, and the fun had begun! Mom passed along a Mamie-Eisenhower-pink casserole dish (Pink Scroll pattern) that my Dad had discovered in the attic of our old house in Pennsylvania, which had a pink tile bathroom and pink curtains and carpet when they moved in.” – Ilka McConnell

Nena Gilreath's Collection of Ballet Toe Shoes

Nena Gilreath is a dancer and the program and facility supervisor of the East Athens Educational Dance Center. This collection will display toe shoes worn by Nena in past shows throughout her dance career.

"I have loved the art of ballet from the time I first saw a performance on PBS Dance in America. It was so beautiful and engaging. It was something that I felt I was meant to do. From the time I started taking ballet I wanted to be able to dance on my toes or sur la pointe. I always wanted to float across the stage.

Here is a collection of my pointe shoes from throughout the years. I have also included a couple of pairs of my students that matriculated through Ballethnic Academy of Dance and became professional dancers in the company. They are Laila Howard and Karla Tyson. They are part of a very important legacy of providing the opportunity for women of color to dance sur la pointe and to be able to dance professionally in the Southern region and travel throughout the world.

The pointes shoes are painted skin tone or flesh tone to match the color of each individual dancer’s skin. This is the revolutionary process and innovation that came from Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City. After years of training and performing in pink tights I was happy to change and never looked back. I shared this innovation with my students and made it a staple in the South after dancing in New York with Dance Theatre of Harlem and moving to Atlanta.

The pointe shoes in the collection are from rehearsals, and performances. Some of them are from Ballethnic’s signature ballet The Leopard Tale, in which shoes are painted to match the animals that the dancers portray in the ballet. Some of these shoes are very sentimental because they are the shoes that I wore the last time I performed certain roles in The Leopard Tale.

Pointe shoes are made of layers of satin, glue and cardboard and a strip of leather on the sole. In the case of my shoes, they do not contain the leather. This makes for a very light and strong shoes. Because my feet are so small, my shoes were custom made in San Francisco. Unfortunately, the maker of my shoes went out of business during the Pandemic.

I feel very blessed to have realized my dream as a ballerina and to be able to share my passion with so many others." - Nena Gilreath

Typewriters from the Collections of Mike Kilpatrick, Tatiana Veneruso, Mike Landers & Lauren Fancher

As told by Mike Kilpatrick:

As a child of the fifties, I grew to age during one of the most romantic of all periods in journalism: one depicting journalists as hard-edged men who wore trench coats with excellent felt hats with "Press" badges tucked into the hatband, with their brims bent below the left eye. They all smoked. And all were admired by beautiful, dangerous looking women, who also smoked. Could there be a more exciting, pressure-filled life?

While imagining myself as such a suave, confident figure filled my early years, what really hooked me into typewriters - and journalism - was the incredible, adrenaline pumping noise and commotion of city news rooms depicted in such movies as 1951's Ace in the Hole, and 1976's All the President's Men. In such movies, "real men" dashed into the newsroom from near death encounters, sat down to desks overflowing with earlier editions of newspapers and cigarette ash, and went to work. The clacking of typewriter keys against cylinders, the "pinging" of the typewriter bell signaling the end of a line, and the banging of cylinders as they were manually returned in the carriage, was absolutely music. And the fever pitch was reached, and movie saved, as the journalist ripped paper from the cylinder of the typewriter, shouting "copy"! What a dance!

Throughout my college years, and for years thereafter, I worked in newspapers and freelanced magazine articles. While I never found a newsroom as exciting as those depicted in movies, what was actual as exciting was the sound of a dozen or more journalists working on manual and electric typewriters. My last job in newspaper journalism was in metro Atlanta in the early 80s. We all worked on IBM Selectric Typewriters. The newsroom was 10 or so reporters, with two editors, all working toward a 10am deadline every morning. To say mornings were chaotic would be a vast understatement, but the excitement and romance was all there, alive and well.

Fast forward to the mid-1990s and I had purchased a restored 1924 home in the Normaltown area of Athens. Needing "nick-nacks and what nots " to fill built-in bookcases, one afternoon in an antique store on Prince Avenue, I stumbled upon an antique typewriter. Computers had years earlier taken the place of typewriters, but the image of such an interesting piece of history caught my eye. Home with me it went, to be proudly displayed among other such curious items. From there, the collection grew. Never was it my intention to work with them, just to have them as tokens to a by-gone era I was lucky enough to be a part of, if only for a few years.

Interestingly, during this same period I was restoring a 1946 Indian Chief motorcycle. Through odd twists of fate, a national vintage motorcycle publication contacted me concerning a story of the restoration. While happy to oblige, I thought what could be better than submitting a story on a vintage motorcycle restoration written on an antique typewriter! So, one of these portables was called into action! The article published, and as proud as I was about that, I was more proud to tell my friends I wrote the article on a 60s-era manual, portable typewriter.

Typewriters now are as old school as sun dials, and journalists may still imagine themselves as hard-edged, chain-smoking exciting figures admired by beautiful, dangerous women. But when they enter the newsroom to sit at a computer screen to file copy, the romance ends. The silence of a keyboard will never replace the urgency and romance of a manual keyboard. At least to this hard-edged reporter!

Cathy Padgett’s Collection of Jackie O Books

"One summer my mother and I watched a TV movie about President Kennedy’s assassination. I had general knowledge of the event, but I really did not know anything about Jacqueline Kennedy. I knew more about Jacqueline Onassis, whose photo I had seen on magazine covers.

I inundated my mother with endless questions about the former first lady. Finally, she suggested I look up Jackie in the encyclopedia (yes, this was before Google!). My interest grew and grew. In an attempt to save herself from a summer of endless Jackie questions, my mother purchased my first Jackie book for me “Jackie Oh!” by Kitty Kelley. I read it so much that the binding came apart.

Over the years, I have added dozens of books to my collection. Some were written by former Kennedy staff members, some by historians, some by folks who never met Jackie. Many of the books are really amazing and informative, while others were just gossip.

As a History major at the University of Georgia, I took every opportunity to make Jackie the subject of my research papers. I could write pages on her impact on the American fashion industry, her work on restoring the White House, her influence on the arts, her support of historic preservation, and her role in developing the John F. Kennedy Library.

What I learned from reading books on Jackie, is she is much more than a fashion icon, an arts patron, an historic preservationist, and defender of her husband’s legacy, she is really a survivor, literally and figuratively, who had a huge impact on our country that is still felt today." - Cathy Padgett

Cathy Padgett serves as the Community Outreach Program Specialist for the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department. A native Athenian, she is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in History. When not building her book collection you will find her antiquing, watching college football, or deciding the next documentary to watch.

Nancy Songster's Collection of Tiny Houses

"I began my journey into fascination with miniatures – that is small or minute replicas or reproductions of all things life sized – nearly 50 years ago. It was only natural with two pre-school daughters that dollhouses would have such a strong first appeal. A simple dollhouse donated as a fundraiser led to contacts with other people interested in miniatures. It followed that I became aware of publications, national organizations, individual artists, and shows devoted to miniatures of all kinds.

Like many hobbies, there is also a network of miniaturists. The whole “miniature world” opened up to me. Everything for a house or shop and anything to make and furnish one was available in miniature scale from artists or commercial dealers.

The techniques and methods for making tiny things are essentially the same as full sized items. Materials include, wood, fabric, clay, metal, polymer clay, glass, and plastic. Tools are much smaller, of course; and materials are scaled down. Miniature projects encompass many scales. One inch per foot is the most popular; then ½”= 1 foot. Many miniaturists are devoted to ¼” scale. There are several quarter scale projects in the exhibit. Work is even done in 1/8” scale and smaller.

Inspiration is all around you in the “miniature world”: shops, shows, special occasions, the challenge of a particular skill, or fascination with a certain item. For a time, I was intrigued by small handmade bears, as small as 1/8” and as large as 2”. Suddenly, I had a collection of over 80 bears that needed a display home, thus the Lovey Bear Shop.

Miniature clubs or societies as some are called exist in almost every metropolitan location in the country. This is also true internationally – especially in the EU and the Asia-Pacific region. As we have moved around the country from: Savannah, GA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Columbus, OH; Atlanta, GA; and Baltimore, MD; I have been active in a miniature group in each place we lived. It was in Baltimore that I learned to paint authentic Baltimore Screens which I painted in miniature for the domed display in the exhibit.

When living in Atlanta during the 1980’s I became very involved in the Atlanta Miniature Society and maintain a membership today after retiring and moving to Athens in 2004. My work with miniatures continues though not on more challenging and intricate projects. I am content to do creative, fun things like a large dollhouse decorated for Christmas – completion date TBD. " - Nancy Songster

Carrie Slayton’s Collection of Tarot Cards & Crystal Skulls

"I have always been fascinated by the metaphysical world and divination in particular. I am a student of psychology, so the real fascination for me with tarot is using it as a tool to work with the psyche. Tarot cards work differently for each person. Some want to believe in the divination aspect of tarot, and as Dr. Joe Dispenza indicates in his studies on the Biology of Belief, the receiver is the one who manifests their reality. Some believe that tarot cards do not foretell the future, and so they don’t. But what they do do is create space for the subconscious mind to connect with the conscious mind to create associative connections that make sense to the querent."

"The real collecting began in 2020, after we received our first Covid stimulus checks! My tarot collection has grown to over 200 decks. I do not collect every kind of tarot deck. In fact, I resist owning any Rider-Waite tarot decks, of which there are many iterations now. I’m a non-conformist at heart, I suppose. I do specifically collect darker-themed decks, as I am a fan of ShadowWork —working through personal trauma as an aspect of spiritual growth and healing. I actively collect Halloween decks. I actively collect out-of-print, dark decks. I also like to collect unique, artistic decks from Etsy and Kickstarter creators. Supporting artists is important to me.

I do read tarot cards. I have a preference for reading spreads that speak to the querent’s soul journey vs. the concrete aspects of the material world. I use the Tarot to help unlock the subconscious and get to the root of one’s personal and spiritual journey. I also host a Tuesday Tarot study group in my home for others who are interested in learning the esoteric meanings associated with the Tarot.

What do crystal skulls have to do with any of this? Skulls represent death. Death in the Tarot represents change (not actual death). The skull also represents a housing unit for three of the four chakras in the energetic body: Vishuddha (throat chakra – emitted by the mouth/jaw), Ajna (third eye chakra – seat of intuition) and Sahasrara (crown chakra – connection to Source, the All That Is)."

About Carrie: I am an Athens resident and ACCGov employee working in the Organizational Development Division. I am an ICF-certified coach and learning and development professional. I have a deep affinity for neuropsychological research and its application in personal development. I have developed an advanced acumen in personality theory and neuroscience applications in the coaching environment to accelerate career and personal growth. I am an expert in effective communications, navigating difficult conversations, developing leadership presence, practicing mindfulness and self-reflection.

For those on an esoteric path toward soul growth and development, I offer psychosynthesis coaching and chakra coaching. To make inquiries about how the Tarot can unlock your subconscious messaging system, contact carrie@cosmiccoaching.org.

Winfield and McNeal’s Fleet

Winfield Smith was born in 1970 in Savannah. Every year for his birthday he received cars and trucks. For Christmas, he received cars and trucks. He inherited his grandfather’s cars. He painted his own trucks. It grew to be quite a collection: firetrucks with ladders, spinning cement mixers, Hot Wheels with doors that open, and dump trucks with hydraulic lifts. His days were filled with play and the collection grew.

Winfield moved to Athens in 1988, and the cars and trucks stayed behind in Savannah.

In 2011, Winfield and his wife Winnie were visiting his home in Savannah. In the closet, under the stairs, they found his collection! Cars and trucks hidden in the closet for over 20 years waiting to be played with again! Winnie was pregnant with their son Winfield, so they decided all the cars and trucks would come back to their home in Colbert to fill the baby’s nursery.

They have been loved and regularly played with ever since, first by Winfield, then by his little brother McNeal. Some are on shelves, but not for long. There are cars and trucks under beds, in baskets, and covering the floors. Some cars and trucks even wind up in the bath or in mud puddles in the yard. All of them are unforgiving to bare feet and stubbed toes.

There are always more cars and trucks (and planes and trains) being added to the collection, such as Hess Trucks from the 1990s. But none of them are as special as the originals from Savannah.

Carried Away: Tatiana Veneruso's Collection of Purses

From priceless family heirlooms to affordable thrift store finds, Tatiana Veneruso has a purse for every occasion. This collection spans over 100 years of handbag history, clutches, pouches, wristlets, minaudières and more! With 68 bags on display, Tatiana is more attracted to unique shapes and colors more than brands. Most are thrifted (or inherited). Many of the older pieces are family heirlooms. One of the first vintage pieces she bought in high school was stolen and then returned. When asked which one she would rescue from a burning building she replies, "Whichever one had my wallet in it, lol!"

When she's not finding unique pieces for her collection, Tatiana is an artist, curator and works as Public Art Coordinator for Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Arts Division.

ATHENS BANNER HERALD

Oliver Domingo’s Library Music

The Lyndon House Arts Center announces a new exhibit for our program Collections from our Community: Oliver Domingo’s Library Music.

“Enjoy a playlist (HERE) that includes some of the juiciest tracks in library music. These tracks reflect all sorts of genres: jazz, funk, even oddball music. It includes a rich collection of different labels around the world with talented artists and composers that come with them.” – Oliver Domingo

Read about Library Music in the Red and Black

Library music or stock music is made and then sold to producers to use in things like commercials, films, background music at the mall or in elevators and sci-fi movies. Oliver’s unique vinyl collection of instrumental library music is mostly from the 60s, 70s and 80s. The music encompasses the general, everyday sound of its time and transports the listener to the disco, to the swanky cocktail party, to a retro fantasy-scape, to the past.

Oliver Domingo is an active member of the Art Center’s Teen Cartoon and Illustration Club.

Bill Raines’ Collection of Pond Boats

Bill Raines is a photographer and while traveling throughout Georgia he’s come to know all the junk shops along his routes. He’s picked up these antique vessels along the way. A couple of the boats are over one hundred years old. Bill has restored some of the paint and sails but has chosen to, in some cases, retain a tattered sail or chipped paint to elude to the boats history and thinks a little hole here and a discoloration there adds character. People race these boats on ponds. First, they take note of the wind direction, tie the sails in place, set the angle of the rudder and then let the boats go, catching the breeze, with the hope that they sail quickly and smoothly to the other bank.

Oscar's Collection of Godzillas

“Before you, there are many varying objects. The one with the most significance is actually the small clear Ziploc bag. It contains an old dismantled Mecha Godzilla toy. I was already familiar with the idea of Godzilla when I figured out what the toy was. It was a guess involving putting two and two together based on how it looked. That’s when I found out it was my first Godzilla toy. Eventually, I watched “Godzilla” (2014) and the deal was sealed. I have been collecting ever since I was 5 and I do not plan on stopping anytime soon.

Arthur Johnson’s Collection of Sharks

“My shark collection began inadvertently when I was a student at UGA in the early/mid-eighties. My friend Greg Germani decided he wanted to give someone a nickname, and he decided it would be me, and he decided the nickname would be Shark, for no particular reason that he can recall now. The nickname stuck and was used often by my small circle of friends, who would occasionally give me a shark item, such as a plastic toy shark or candy dispenser or a Hot Wheels Sharkruiser. Some years later when I started touring with a band in Boston, I decided it would be a good use of my time and per diems to shop for sharks while I was on the road, and then my collection really took off. I’ve bought a lot of sharks over the years, but I’ve also been given many sharks; I think people enjoy the challenge of finding a shark I don’t own or haven’t even seen before. It’s difficult to say exactly how many shark objects and images I have, because they kind of permeate our household—besides the sharks displayed around our office, there’s shark art displayed around our house and in our backyard, and many shark-shaped kitchen utensils (bottle openers, pizza cutters), plus I’ve got storage tubs full of sharks that I don’t have room to display—but a thousand and one sharks seems like a good estimate. These are photos of a few favorites. Some are handmade: a hand-stitched pillow by Annika Tamura; a metal shark fabricated from street signs by Matt Haffner; a shark carved out of soap by Athens’ own Jennifer Hartley; a whirligig by R. A. Miller that we bought from R. A. himself back in the early ‘90s; a wire shark that I commissioned from an artist who was set up at the Harvard T stop in Cambridge; a shark from the 1970s board game JAWS that Stephen Larkworthy painted to look like Plastic Man, one of my identities as a member of Atlanta’s Box Heroes. Others I picked up during my touring days (a Fisher-Price shark flashlight I bought at a Woolworth’s in Munich’s Old Town in 1992 or 1993, a shark comb I found during a late-night stop at South of the Border) or I received from friends or family over the years (shark patches that my lifelong best friend Todd Butler collected for me, a Mark Trail cartoon that Boston artist Keith Maddy gave me, a Richard Scarry shark car that is one of many thoughtful gifts from my mom over the years). And to clarify: I don’t love sharks per se—it’s more that I love representations of sharks.”

“Born and raised in Atlanta, I first visited Athens in the fall of 1978 at the age of 14, when I rode the Greyhound bus here to see my sister Carole and we attended a midnight showing of Eraserhead at the South PJ on the UGA campus and then a UGA football game the next day (I stayed at the late, lamented Downtowner in Five Points). I enrolled at UGA myself in 1982 and graduated in 1986, and then spent a few more years here having fun with my band, the Bar-B-Q Killers, before my then-girlfriend, now-wife Donna Ashley and I decided to move to Boston, where we stayed for seventeen wonderful years before moving back to Atlanta at the end of 2005. Since returning to Georgia, I’ve worked as a freelance editor/copyeditor/proofreader/permissions editor while also occasionally playing drums hither and thither with my old Boston band, Come, and with friends in Atlanta and Athens, including Ted Hafner and David Barbe.” —Arthur Johnson

Julie Rutledge’s Grandparents’ Collection of Avon Bottles

February 2 - April 10, 2021

“My grandparents, Sadie and Tom Rutledge, began collecting Avon bottles in the early 1970s. They were always interested in antiques and collecting treasures in their own attempt to preserve history. One of their past times was going to flea markets and as Sadie said, “looking at all the treasures.” Sadie and Tom were drawn to Avon bottles because they were intrigued with all the different designs and shapes.

Sadie and Tom found a lot of Avon bottles at J&J Flea Market and the Pendegrass Flea Market. Once they started collecting them, friends would also collect bottles so they would have many duplicates. They got a lot of bottles from an old friend who owned a junk store off 441 in Nicholson. He’d put aside any bottles he found.

Overtime, my grandfather built bookshelves in the basement to store all the Avon bottles. No one ever used the fragrances. They just enjoyed looking at them. In the end, they collected more than 2000 bottles.

I was in college when my grandfather died. I always enjoyed coming home to walk through the basement with my grandmother to look at all the treasures. She especially enjoyed pausing in front of the 6 bookshelves full of Avon bottles and remembering her husband.

Sadie died March 1, 2019. She would have been thrilled to have the Avon bottle collection on display for others to enjoy.” – Julie Rutledge

Julie Rutledge is an English and ESOL teacher who took time off to raise her son. She has worked part-time at the Athens Community Career Academy for the last two years and has enjoyed working with such an ambitious and motivated group of students while also having flexibility to be home more with her son. She and her family like to be outside as much as possible, biking and walking around town. She also enjoys gardening, painting and ceramics

Hue and Carole Henry’s Collection of Banana Peels

What is creativity anyway? Does it have to be lasting? Can creative moments be collected? These are some of the questions that Hue and Carole Henry’s collection of banana peel photos can bring to mind.

"The collection began with a banana and a glass of water – a daily routine while watching “Morning Joe” each day. The banana peel was initially tossed into the trash, but one day a year ago Hue, a retired local attorney active in community theater, took the peel, inverted it into the empty glass and gave it new meaning. Carole, a retired UGA art education professor and former middle school art teacher, started photographing the banana peel “sculptures” at first by themselves but then in different settings both inside and outside, sometimes in natural settings and other times with decorative objects found around the house. Some choices were governed by the weather; others by serendipitous events like the sight of a visiting friend’s bright yellow kayak, strapped to the top of their parked car."

"The photos served to document the act of looking at one thing (the banana peel) and seeing or imagining something else (perhaps a flower) in a way that was fun and unique. Each banana peel was different, some riper than others, and each background an unexpected juxtaposition. Seeing them all together- over 100 images in all (only 16 are included here) documents moments of creativity that are themselves ephemeral." - Carole Henry

Michael Lachowski’s Collection of Trail Trash

When Michael Lachowski goes hiking or backpacking he picks up trail litter. When he gets home, no matter what it may be, how much or how little, he puts it in a sandwich bag, labels it with where he went, what trail, and who he was with. Trail mix bags, lots of cigarette butts, a lead ball / bear bullet, foil, a glow stick, shotgun casings, and fishing lure. Some trails are more littered than others — one bag contains a single lollipop stick. At first the collections seem insignificant, but when you start aggregating it, something as simple as this, little pieces of trash in a bag, have a story to tell. It shows the impact of other people and Michael, wanting to be a good little camper, wants to tidy up.

Michael Lachowski came to the University of Georgia to study photography in the art department back when the building was on Jackson Street near downtown. His scene was built around the art school party crowd and was intensely interested in the new music of the time, leading him and his roommate Randy Bewley to form the band Pylon. Pylon broke up after two albums and lots of touring in order to “make art again,” and all of the band chose to remain in Athens. Lachowski made art and worked at Dixons Bicycles, then opened the design agency Candy, which he also turned into a DJ store and then a clothing store for men and women. Pylon reunited twice, ending for good when guitarist Bewley died of a heart attack. Lachowski published the magazine Young, Foxy & Free in Athens and then expanding to Atlanta. In 2012 he settled down with a job doing PR for the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia.

Lola Brooks’ Collection of Accessories: Vintage Rhinestone Glasses, Matching Wallet Sets and Vera Neumann Scarves

Lola Brooks relocated to Athens from New York to be the UGA Dodd Chair in 2012 and ended up moving to town permanently. She currently lives in Farmington and makes fantastic, complicatedly layered, shimmering sculptural jewelry. This winter she shares her collection of rhinestone glasses, matching rainbow-colored wallet sets and gorgeous Vera Neumann vintage scarves.

Lola is an obsessive collector. Concerned that her collecting borders on hoarding, she explains that everything she has is really fabulous. So it’s not like a filthy hoarder, it’s a highly curated intentional hoarding. She meticulously organized the pieces by color and sets parameters for herself to insure the collecting does not spin out of control. For example, the glasses must come from the 60’s and 70’s and the wallets must have a matching keytainer to even be considered. Combing through the Salvation Army, trolling flea markets, and scouring ebay, Lola has amassed impressive treasures.

A twenty-year-old Lola bought her first pair of vintage rhinestone glasses after being wow-ed by a woman walking down the street in New York wearing an outrageous pair. Not only did she start wearing glasses again for the first time since 4th grade (it was great to be able to see again!) it also sparked this obsession. Since then, thirty years in the making, her collection has grown to include over 150 dazzling frames and a colorful assortment of Pucci sunglasses.

Growing-up, Lola was a latch key kid and spent a lot of time on her own in a downstairs closet, digging through her mother’s purse collection. She would put on her mom’s Herb Alpert records and fill her Lady Buxton wallet with homemade credit cards and Monopoly money. Later on, in the early days of Ebay, Lola was just perusing and recalled those times in the purse closet. She searched “Lady Buxton” and thus began her rainbow collection of wallets and matching keytainers.

The scarves all designed by Vera Neumann are from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. The bold designs, heavily influenced by Japanese textiles are signed “Vera” with a little ladybug. Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly wore Vera scarves and First Lady Bess Truman selected Vera fabrics to decorate the third floor solarium windows and upholstery of the White House. Lola organizes the scarves by color. Only a small portion of her impressive collection is on display in the case.

The idea of building this collection is similar to building Lola’s jewelry works. This act of collecting glasses, wallet sets and vintage scarves is similar to collecting material such as the precious stones and the ivory roses used in her work. Each piece becomes a hoard in its own right, a sparkling pile, a glittering tangle.

Tad Gloeckler’s Collection of Flyswatters

Tad Gloeckler became interested in flyswatters when he saw a minimal, tail-like, Eric Bagger designed flyswatter in the gift shop of the Museum of Modern Art. He found a yellow butterfly swatter right before going to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural triumph, Fallingwater. He’s found inspiring specimens at Target and on eBay. One is Amish inspired and made with a floppy leather killing mechanism, Pampered Chef makes one with a dustpan and tweezers to pick up the carcasses, the Michael Graves model attaches to a broom for killing flies in high spaces and the beautifully designed OXO is the one Tad uses at home. There are flyswatters gifted from the bank after buying a home and also an executive flyswatter, both strange gifts to receive. There are fly killing guns. There are flyswatters wearing disguises; a blue daisy masks an insect’s worst nightmare. Tad’s favorite piece has a simple dark palette with a great transition between the handle and head with the wire forming a subtle fly motif.

Tad’s desire to collect was fueled by teaching. Using the flyswatter with its straightforward, consistent design components, handle, shaft and swatting surface, Tad leads students in questioning, “What is invention vs. novelty?”. In his design classes at UGA, he guides students in developing concepts, using and transforming materials and utilizing the basic design elements. Flyswatters prove to be the perfect visual and conceptual example, being so simple but so varied. Presenting a flip-flop mounted to a stick, an electrified tennis racket-like invention called the “Buzzwacker” and a swatter you lock and load, then pull the trigger to smash the insect between two orange waffled panels, Tad shows the students that it is ok to be creative, think outside the box- it doesn’t all have to be about function, it can be about creating an intriguing object and more about ideas. Tad also discusses the importance of naming the object. Instead of a “flyswatter,” he asks students to think about “insect compressors”. “We have a preconceived idea about how something should be formed. If you ask a student to make a chair rather than an object to be sat upon you will get a totally different result.”

Tad designed several, flyswatters himself. Like a Rube Goldberg machine they are multi-faceted, multi-stepped and whimsical, almost comical in their complexity and craftsmanship when considering their fly killing objective. Tad’s sculpture “Good News” takes the idea of rolling up a newspaper to smash a fly and formalizes it. Like the Philippe Stark designed swatter in his collection that stands upright on its gorgeous, minimal three legs, Tad wonders, “How can you have something that looks good sitting on the coffee table and still kill flies?” Tad’s sculpture does sit beautifully, the horn-like rolled murder weapon hangs on a masterfully constructed stand with a cross at its base alluding to the inevitable death and afterlife of any winged intruder.

Making multiples allows Tad to show the viewer the different steps of how the sculpture unfolds and is used. “Metamorphosis-C” illustrates the three steps in transforming this sculpture from a strange little box all tightly packed-up to an attack ready fly hunting arsenal. The transformation begins with an abstract larva form, and a wing-like mesh emerges from a pupa to be reconfigured into a swatter.

Rachel Barnes' Collection of White Ceramic Cats

Rachel saw her first white ceramic cat in her early 20s at Agora (which is now Atomic). It was priced too extravagantly for her in those days but she began to covet these 1970’s mold-made kitties. After Lori from Dynamite gave her the first one word spread and friends started helping with her collection. Many evenings she comes home to find a new little friend waiting for her on the porch.

Rachel is a crazy cat lady, obsessed with cats and got that way thanks to her grandmother. It was just their thing, they loved them and for every birthday and occasion people gave them cats. Now Rachel has a bathroom dedicated to her ever growing non-white kitty collection but the white cats sit in a place of honor, where their monochromatic elegance can be appreciated, in the living room. Her husband Alfredo gets major props for not only embracing this cat colony but also helping with the interior design to feature them in their best light, in the front window.

Getting to live with the cats every day, Rachel has come to notice and love the fact that despite every puss being fluffy white, having a pink nose, pink ears and blue eyes each one is so different and has such a unique personality. Even the ones that are made from the same mold- a curling eyelash, a slanted eye, a pink protruding tongue makes each figure an individual. Many of these pieces were made in the 70’s when mold-made pottery painting was the hot new fad. It’s fun to see the artist take creative license- some having more success than others at painting the features. Rachel loves the odd ones the most, the family portrait with mom and her kittens done-up with hot pink lips and Tammy Faye eyes, the runt of the litter that looks like a cross between a cat, a lamb and a demon dog and the chubby little guy with a very chunky tail and melancholy eyes framed by curled lashes. Their idiosyncrasies are intriguing.

Mike Landers’ Collection of Cookie Jars

As a lifelong collector of stuff, I’ve learned that collecting anything requires me to set limits on the collection -- not just things I like — but things that fall within specific criteria for being considered for the collection. There is so much stuff to collect, you’ve got to limit and define your criteria for collecting.The first cookie jar I bought was a Humpty Dumpty cookie Jar from the 1940s designed by Brush Pottery. But I realized that if I was going to collect more, I needed to narrow my selection criteria. I decided that any cookie jar that I would collect would need to be a head-shaped cookie jar.

My collection is predominantly three dimensional likenesses of familiar two-dimensional cartoon characters. It contains many of the cartoon characters that I loved when I was a kid - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, Mr. Magoo, Pinocchio, Popeye the Sailor, Yogi Bear, and Smokey the Bear. However, I think the most interesting and strange ones are the oldest ones. I have three stoneware jars that look like newspaper cartoon illustrations from the 1930s-1940s, Oscar the Doughboy, Mustache Man and Sailor Girl.

Wyler Hecht's Collection of Vintage Cast Iron Pots & Pans

Wyler Hecht’s diverse collection of vintage cast iron pots and pans were manufactured in the 19th and early to mid-20th century. The oldest skillets, manufactured between 1860 and 1890 are dated by the presence of a gate mark on the bottom surface. Hecht’s collection includes pieces by Wagner Ware, Griswold, Wapak, Martin Stove and Range, Favorite Piqua and several others. There are a number of unmarked skillets by these manufacturers as well. These unmarked skillets are identifiable by specific incised or raised marks (i.e. pan size number) and handle shapes and design. Iron skillets are making a fierce comeback in the culinary market, and while there are a number of contemporary manufacturers, vintage cast iron is becoming more and more sought after and certainly harder to come by.

Tony Turner's Collection of Toy Soldiers

This exhibit includes a selection of toy soldiers from the collection of Tony Turner. Tony, who is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, served during the Vietnam War with four years in Vietnam and Laos. Of particular interest to Colonel Turner, which covers roughly 50% of his collection, is the Napoleonic Wars. This is an area that he has studied and read extensively both in history and fiction. The collection also includes pieces both vintage and modern from the Napoleonic Wars, the Civil War, World War II and the Vietnam War.

Leslie Litt’s Collection of Enamellist Society Trade Pins

These are a collection of unique pins traded by the members of the Enamellist
Society. Those that make and share their pins at the conferences are rewarded with a nice selection to take home with them. As a member of the Enamellist Society for over 14 years, Leslie Litt has gone to 6 Enamellist Society conferences, missing only the year she moved to Athens.

Leslie enjoys creating a unique designs that other enamellists would want to have and trade. She has amassed quite a large collection. It is interesting to see the materials, textures and techniques that are used. Sand, plastic, mesh, copper, steel, beads, copper scrubbies, silver foil and decals are a few of the materials that are utilized. The techniques are as varied as the materials and include:
embossing, form folding, Scraffito, laser printing, stenciling, Cloisonné, crackle and graphite.

Not all the pins are signed but some of the more notable artists are: Leslie Perrin, Averill Shepp, Dorothy Crockell, Gail Bradshaw, Vicki Mathieu, Suzanne Kustner, Michelle Hall Scott, Judy Stone, Tixh White, Barbara Louise Bowling and Steve Artz.

Connee Flynn's Collection of Angels

When you enter into my world (my home) there are angels everywhere but you have to be aware of them. The same applies to our perception of their existence.

In the early 1950’s they started appearing in my artwork (too much imagination?). This peaked my interest.
I started collecting them slowly and quietly. I brought home angels from Europe and Mexico. My family and friends noticed the collection. From there the collection grew in all manner and form.

Connee Marchell Flynn, a native of New York City, began her art training in high school. She studied at the Brooklyn Museum of Art School, the Franklin School of Professional Art, The Art Students League and by invitation with graphic designer M. Peter Piening. After working for advertising agencies and a catalog
publishing firm, she freelanced for several years before her marriage.

Connee Flynn has lived in Athens since 1968. After her children were grown she returned to wood block printing and watercolor painting. Although her interest in all mediums remains, she finds the spontaneity of watercolors exciting and printmaking challenging. Her love of nature is apparent in her works.

ZIG DOT ZAG: Featuring works by the Athens Fibercraft Guild’s “Challenge Project” participants

Each year, the Athens Fibercraft Guild presents a “Challenge Project” to its members, asking them to choose a bag that contains an unusual assortment of mystery items. Members then create a piece with these objects, while simultaneously responding to a common theme. This year’s theme was ZIG DOT ZAG. The bags contained naturally dyed wool in various forms of fleece, yarn and woven cloth. Each bag had a label indicating which plant was used to dye the colorful wool. The resulting works range from wearable garments to soft sculptures. The “Challenge Project” is always so much fun -it is like a potluck luncheon, full of delicious, unexpected surprises! Enjoy exploring all the varying works that resulted from our experiments.

Pictured at right: work by Erika Lewis

Rich Panico's Collection of clay works from 1976-2017

Rich Panico began to work in clay in 1976. He started out apprenticing with Rick Berman at Callenwolde in Atlanta. His first works focused on an Oriental‪,‬ functional aesthetic in high fire and raku. An artistic community‪,‬ including Michael Simon, Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew strongly influenced his work during this time‪,‬ as well as Ron Meyers and Peter Voulkous‪,‬ who both had cultivated original voices in American ceramics‪,‬ while preserving strong links to both Oriental and European traditions. These friendships inspired a six year period of creative experimentation of which only a few pieces remain.

From the beginning, Panico's artistic undertakings have been interwoven with a career in medicine. By the early 80's the demands of his medical practice pushed clay work into a back seat. In 1990, Panico developed an auto-immune disorder which was not adequately diagnosed until 2012. Ironically, this created an opportunity to better balance and create a more reflective life in which, by necessity he was forced to become comfortable with "living in the questions.”

Nena Gilreath's Collection of Barbies

Barbie ballerinas, princesses, brides and clad in their commemorative holiday gowns, East Athens Educational Dance Center Supervisor, Nena Gilreath, shares her collection with us.

"I Am Black Dance because I live dance through my heritage, though my ancestry, & through my art. Black Dance is creative. It's colorful." -Nena Gilreath

Mrs. Gilreath is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She began her career by moving to Atlanta and joining the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre. She later joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem, touring nationally and internationally. In 1988, Ms. Gilreath returned to Atlanta to dance with the Atlanta Ballet. Finally, on January 15, 1990, along with husband and choreographer Waverly T. Lucas, II they created Ballethnic Dance Company. She has implemented numerous outreach programs including the BUDDY Project through the Atlanta Project, which served as a model for the existing Danseur Development Project. Ms. Gilreath currently serves as co-founder and co-artistic director of Ballethnic Dance Company and Ballethnic Academy of Dance. She received the 2008 Atlanta NAACP President’s Award for their positive influence on today’s youth.

William Stephanos' Collection of Tibetan Treasures

This month the collection case is filled with Education Specialist, William Kai Stephanos' objects from Tibet and Northern India. Compiled on two trips, in 2007 and 2009, these items were acquired from the Jokhang Temple and the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the original Ganden and Drepung Monasteries in Tibet proper, as well as sites in Dharamsala India, where the current Dalai Lama and many Tibetans have lived in exile since the 1950’s.

Louise Shaw's Papal Archive

Decades in the making, Louise Shaw’s global collection of Popes was originally inspired by Pope John Paul II’s papacy, but quickly expanded to other papal reigns and Catholicism. Her lifelong source of fascination was the gestalt of her hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts, where as a Jew she was a minority living in a city that was 90% Catholic. In search of Popes she literally has traveled around the world to Mexico, Belgium, France, Argentina, The Netherlands, and, of course, Italy. She recently returned from a second trip to The Vatican, where she updated her collection with Pope Francis ephemera.

Eric Krasle's Collection of Athens Area Dug Bottles

This collection is representative of more than 30 years of digging bottles. The collection includes a large chemical bottle (circa mid 1800’s) that is one of a set recovered by Jeffrey Weinberg from what was once the Crawford W. Long Apothecary in Athens, GA on Broad Street. Also in the collection is a medicine bottle that was produced specifically for the Harris Drug Company of Athens. It is a rare surviving example of the once common practice of specifically “minting” bottles for local drug stores. The photograph of the Harris Drug Company depicts the “Just what the Doctor ordered” script that matches the embossing on the bottle.

An original non-decorative Athens-embossed Bludwine bottle which contained a cherry flavored soda is from approximately 1930. A name change to Budwine was the result of censorship pressure by fundamentalists in Athens, included is an early Budwine bottle from just after the “l” was removed. Among the many Coca-cola bottles in the collection is a straight-sided embossed Athens, Georgia bottle that was produced in the early 1900’s and a gold “hobbleskirt" edition.

Jeff Montgomery's Collection of Floaty Pens
&
Katherine Winslow's Collection of Push Puppets

Floaty pens, are those delightful tourist souvenir picture scenes of landmarks.

“While on a foreign study program with Furman University that ventured in part to Israel in the winter of 1994, I stumbled across "The Last Supper" floaty pen somewhere along the way. I found this floaty pen so endearingly kitschy with its sliding loaf of bread and wine that I purchased it on the spot.” – Jeff Montgomery

Push Puppet are wonderful spring loaded figures that dance when you press the bottom of their platform stage.

“I’ve been collecting push puppets for years, and have found them throughout the United States and in Europe in toy stores, restaurants and gift shops. Among my 49 push puppets is an alien figure from Roswell, N.M., “Pinocchio” from Rome, a royal guard from London, and the Krtek (“little mole”) cartoon character from Prague.” – Katherine Winslow