David Barnhill vintage toy collection featured art exhibit Minneapolis
David Barnhill shows off his toy collection (FOX 9)
(FOX 9) - For many people, collecting is a popular pastime.
A new vintage toy exhibit not only looks at popular playthings from the 60's to today, it also explores the mind of a collector.
For David Barnhill, collecting runs in the family.
Now he's sharing some of his most prized possessions to tell a different kind of toy story.
"It's this huge wave of nostalgia and memory for me 'cause this is all of my life put on display and it reminds me of the incredible childhood I had," said Barnhill.
He started collecting comic books and monsters before he can remember and his collection has grown to include more than 200,000 items.
Barnhill is putting several hundred pieces from the collection on display in an exhibit called "Collecting Memories: A Love Story" at the Squirrel Haus Arts Center in South Minneapolis from April 28-May 8.
"To me, they all had feelings. They all have love or joy. Sort of like the Velveteen Rabbit or Sporky in Toy Story. You didn't want to just throw them out. They had value in our life. They were part of your life. They were the magic of your youth growing up," said Barnhill.
Part of David Barnhill's toy collection (FOX 9)
The exhibit not only looks at Barnhill's lifelong love affair with everything from superheroes and villains to creature features.
It also examines why we collect things in the first place and how we give inanimate objects hidden meaning.
"Some are seeking to re-live their past happy moments or objects or characters that helped them through difficult times," said exhibit curator Stephen Rueff.
"When I see some of the characters or models [David] painted with his mom and dad, I see Frankenstein or The Creature From The Black Lagoon. He sees a memory. He is flooded with the love of his mom and dad who painted those objects for him."
Barnhill hopes his monster mash takes visitors on a stroll down memory lane and causes them to create their own collections from pieces of the past.
"I'm hoping they'll go 'Wow. I've got stuff on my shelves. I curate my life and I never thought about it like that. It is a collection. It gives me value. Gives me identity. Everybody has something," said Barnhill.