This diverse group of twenty New Jersey kids spent a fun-filled month at The Newark Museum, in Newark, New Jersey, where they were led on daily adventures by project leader, Harley Spiller, an avid collector himself.
"The kids especially loved looking
at a collection of American gum from foreign countries that comes in flavors
unavailable in the U.S., such as strawberry Juicy Fruit from Spain.
We looked at picture books about collecting and heard from many collectors,
both big and small. Like the man who has 1,850 smiley-face items; and a six year old who never once followed the directions for his Lego blocks yet managed to build
an entire Lego city and grew up to be an urban planner." - Harley Spiller, program developer & collector
The young collectors were taught by museum personnel about the importance of handling, labeling and presenting collections. One of the most difficult elements of curating their own collections was the process of selection, some kids had hundreds of items in their collections, but had to choose only 7 elements to best highlight their collection. They saw the value of everyday objects and learned that each collection represents the unique vision of the collector and of their environment.
Profiles of the Collector/CuratorsCollector's Corner
