With over 600 events spanning 32 days in July and August, Artown in Reno may seem a little overwhelming. There is dancing in the streets, concerts, art exhibits, theater, ballet, historical, cultural and family events. What started 13 years ago with an attendance of 30,000 has grown to a 32-day event bringing 350,000 people to the Reno area.
While you may be seduced by the glitz and glamour of the World Music Series or Missoula Children’s Theater, a quiet, small, unassuming, free, ongoing event that shouldn’t be missed is a photo collection called ‘Ordinary: A Collection of Anonymous Snapshots.’ On display at Think: Arts and Architecture Bookstore, the snapshots are a personal collection of over 2,000 ‘found’ photographs gathered over the course of a decade by shop owner Eddie Edwards. Edwards says she gets some photos on Ebay, others have been found at antique stores, garage sales and even on the ground. Additionally, friends now know her habit and tend to send her photos.
While flipping through old photo albums may give one a voyeuristic sense, Edwards articulates my feelings almost exactly when she says, ‘You can really get a sense of a whole life in the photos whether it is sad, poignant or funny.’ It takes just a few moments before you become totally engrossed in flipping through a random family’s trip across country in ’79, taking photos at each welcoming state sign. The photos are completely accessible, some piled in interesting stacks, some organized into entire albums. One humorous series showcases a person who must have been obsessed with getting that perfect picture of his two white poodles, as they are posed in an exorbitant amount of settings.
‘I always thought it was just me, but there is a whole literary movement,’ says Edwards. Along with the extensive collection, she has quite a few books on display, all about found photographs. I wondered if anyone had had come along and known anyone in her found photographs, and Edwards said, ‘Just last week someone came in and said, ‘I went to school with this person!’’
Besides a passion for found photographs, Edwards is a graphic designer and owns the store. She has been selling ‘vintage and rare books and objects for the modernist’ online for 10 years, and opened the physical store about a month ago.
If the pull of Artown draws you to Reno in July, make a stop into Think and check out this amazing, personal connection as well as some of the amazing vintage DIY books she has for sale. For more information, or to visit the collection, visit 1400 South Virginia St. Suite A, Reno or call 775-337-6477. For a schedule of the events happening during Artown, visit renoisartown.com.
~ Jackie Varriano, jvarriano@moonshineink.com.
