Deepen Your Collecting & Collections Knowledge: An Interview with Spencer W. Stuart about His Lifecycles Webinar
In this audio interview, Sarah Reeder of Worthwhile Magazine chats with collections advisor Spencer W. Stuart about his educational program Lifecycles: Collecting & Collections. Spencer will be presenting Lifecycles online starting on October 1st, 2020 and registration is open to all at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lifecycles-collecting-collections-3-sessions-tickets-115930532343.
Read some of our favorite insights from Spencer in the interview:
“There's really no better time to be a collector and we'll explore how and why that's the case through the Lifecycles program.”
“How does a particular object participate in the story your collection is trying to tell? In order to answer this question, you need to have a handle on the information surrounding each object, and this requires comprehensive cataloging. And that's something we'll explore through the Lifecycles program: what are the differences between inventories and cataloguing, and how cataloging can really help you define a comprehensive understanding of your collection, not only for yourself and the practices of building the collection, but also how it relates to people in a broader public, in the anticipation of perhaps donating the collection to institutions.”
“It's not really something that's around a genius myth: it's all about time, resources, and opportunities.”
“There's little about collecting culture that is indeed impulsive…. Besides availability, which is somewhat predictable, there's enough data to make informed decisions and develop interesting collections.”
“...the third phase I refer to as the late stage in collecting. This is often a period in which you have developed a great deal of experience, and connections, and it's really sort of the richest point in time with your collection, one where it becomes really a kind of resource that's not only valuable to yourself and your self-interest with a topic, but can also have a lot of value to a larger public."
“Collectors are focused people, they're ones that are dedicated to a topic and their interests in that topic, and how they relate to that history. They often hone, they dedicate... and to the benefit of the public. Often these collections offer insight to historical moments and to the figures within those events in a way that the grand histories of a moment don't really capture. They really explore the minutiae of a moment.”
“I find the Lifecycles program works very well for collectors at all the various stages... as well as people who work with collections such as museum curators... people who work in trusts and estates, appraisers and similar professionals involved in that sector.”
Thank you, Spencer! Registration for the program starting October 1, 2020 is open to everyone at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lifecycles-collecting-collections-3-sessions-tickets-115930532343.
For questions about booking additional offerings of the Lifecycles program you can contact Spencer directly either by phone at 1.604.363.1012 or email at spencerwstuart@gmail.com.
Spencer W. Stuart provides advisory services to collections both private and institutional. He helps to facilitate collection development, cataloguing and deacquisition strategies. His specialities include rare books, prints, and photography. In concert with his advising, Spencer is an active writer and lecturer on histories of the printed word. Connect with Spencer via his website at http://spencerwstuart.ca or call 604.363.1012.
© Worthwhile Magazine 2020