Every collection tells a story. Petaluma Collects is an exhibition about what members of our community collect. This could be something that was inherited, sparked an interest to learn more, or provided pleasure and delight.

The exhibition also describes why collectors collect and how objects are displayed–either repurposed in a new way or maintained as is. This curated group of collections provides fresh insights into different art forms, and, in some cases, the historical legacies that brought them into being.

As a curator for over twenty-five years, two of my favorites ways to look at a collection are as a maker and a collector. As a collector myself, I love hearing the passion and enthusiasm in other collectors’ voice of the when, how, why a collection started. As a maker, I learn from the exploration of various materials and how a form is honed over the years. I am always interested in seeing the endless iterations on a theme in a collection.

I like to see how a collection shapes the collector. And I have found that a collector often has more than just one collection. For this exhibit, it has been a great pleasure to meet fellow collectors in our community and learn about what was important enough that they kept the collection over the years.