The Collectors’ Quest, an exhibition of Karen and Robert Duncan’s collections, has been one of the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum’s most popular shows.

Most of us enjoy accumulating books, buttons, stamps, thimbles, coins, sports memorabilia, dolls, plants or a multitude of other objects. The hours spent in pursuit of just the right addition is usually exciting and satisfying.

That impulse comes across in this exhibition. There is a playful quality about many of the objects—the chairs, the Par Puzzles, the martini shakers and glasses, the embroidered denims, the simple house forms and the colorful shoes—that reminds us that great design and art can be fun.

This exhibition has stirred me to think a lot about collecting—not just groupings of interesting objects, but the meaningful gathering of people.

I believe CCAM has collected individuals who love art and design, adults and children who wish to learn, those who are excited to see a deteriorating former library building given new life and those who are eager to come together in celebration of new opportunities for our community. The museum has collected new friends from Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri, and has welcomed visitors from the far reaches of the globe.

As a component of The Collectors’ Quest, Iowa artist Judy Bales led a workshop for children. Her leadership and creative activities were as bright and colorful as her coiled wire baskets.

I thank Karen and Robert Duncan for generously sharing their collections with the people of Southwest Iowa and thank you for being part of our collection of CCAM friends.

Trish Okamoto-Director