Collectors’ Night 2017
New York City Fire Museum, 278 Spring Street, NY, NY
Saturday, April 8 @ 5 PM
Online admission: $7/$5 Reliquary or Fire Museum members
Door admission: $10/$8 Reliquary or Fire members
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The City Reliquary Museum is proud to present its annual Collectors’ Night on Saturday, April 8 at the New York City Fire Museum. Collectors’ Night celebrates one of the quirkier cultural practices of everyday New Yorkers. Every year, artists, packrats, and other unusual archivists gather to show off their collections. Displays range from the charming and quotidian to the intriguingly morbid. Special presentations by guest speakers focus on a specific area of collecting.

Collectors’ Night 2017 Guest Speakers:

Schoolteacher Miriam Sicherman of the “Closet Archeology” project will discuss the early 20th-century debris found by her 4th graders under the floorboards of their 1913 NYC public school. See coverage from the New York Times.

Mike Zohn of Obscura Antiques & Oddities will discuss his collection of original artwork from 1960s & ’70s Mexican comic books.

And a special performance from artist and activist LuLu LoLo of the Where Are The Women Monuments project. LuLu will perform two short monologues drawn from the obituaries of Elizabeth Tashjian, founder of The Nut Museum, and Hugh Hicks, whose massive light bulb collection formed the Mount Vernon Museum of Incandescent Lighting.

This year collections:

• Industrial Revolution and Mechanical Era ephemera from Museum of Interesting Things. With interactive demonstrations.
• Rare maps, books and photos chronicling the history of Queens from Jason Antos
• Coca-Cola ephemera from David Argov
• 100 years of paper, cardboard and self-playing ephemeral records from Michael Cumella aka Phonograph DJ MAC. Some records will be played on site.
• 12 reproduction mechanical banks from Georgine and Bill Eberight. Includes coin demos.
• Vintage cartoon decals, illustrated aprons, cocktail napkins, and more comic ephemera from Gabe Fowler of Desert Island Comics
• Business cards of Chicago gangs from the 1970s & ’80s from Brandon Johnson. Brandon’s collection of gang “compliment cards” has been published as Thee Almighty & Insane. The book has been reviewed by Vice.
• Preserved insects from Jamison Heldrich
• Beach and sea glass collected in New York from Emily Kawasaki
• Vintage hats & handkerchiefs from artist and activist LuLu LoLo
• Found fishing lures and metal tins from different countries from Gail Mitchell
• Road maps from Alex Schneider
• Classic educational filmstrips from Jonathan Sims. With projection of some strips.
• Collections of rock collections acquired from friends, family, states, and geological societies from artist Ben Sisto
• 1950s lady head vases from Lisa and Nina Skriloff
• Star Wars items, mounted mini orchids, and wheat pennies from Mike Smith
• Mid-century desk lamps from Ronda J. Smith and Adrien Blanc
• WWII family ephemera and vintage potato ads from Harley Spiller, aka Inspector Collector
• Archival 16mm vintage cartoons by Tommy Stathes of Cartoons on Film. Screenings throughout the night.
• Over 100 1:64-scale police, fire and emergency vehicles, with many international police cars and rare items from Corgi, Solido, Siku, Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Tomica, from Jeremy Willinger
• And the City Reliquary Kid Collectors! Featuring the collection of “O” shapes from Opal Herman, the geisha doll collection of Rosie Herman, the miniature action figures of Gwen Rosenstein, and the Beanie Boo & Pokemon collection of Olive Scanga!

Event Schedule

5:00-5:30: DJ music by Nigel; Pizza by Two Boots & Beer by Brooklyn Brewery (by donation); time to browse collections

5:30-6:00: Introduction to CN by CR President Bill Scanga; Round 1 of Rapid-Fire Show-n-Tell

6:00-6:15: Intermission

6:15-7:15: Speakers: Miriam Sicherman’s Closet Archeology; LuLu LoLo performance; Mike Zohn’s Mexican Comic Art

7:15-7:30: Second Intermission

7:30- 8:00: Round 2 of Rapid-Fire Show-n-Tell Closing remarks by CR Director Dave Herman

Refreshments courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and Two Boots Pizza!

#CollectorsNight

Tickets through Artfully, $7/$5 for City Reliquary or Fire Museum members. Become a Reliquary member today! Admission at the door will be $10/$8 Reliquary and Fire Museum members. Buy online and save!

Check out a few pics from Collectors’ Night 2016, and see more on our Facebook page.