2008 Woodie Awards
Collectors focus on specifics
By: Frank Eslinger
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
For most people, finding the limited edition of "Silence of the Lambs: The Criterion Collection" on LaserDisc doesn't mean much.
But for Kenneth Jurkiewicz, it is a prized possession to his movie collection.
"It's one of my rarest pieces," he said. "It's all really the thrill of discovery."
Gathering objects is a part of human nature; therefore it's no surprise that many different people in the Central Michigan University community collect things significant to them.
Jurkiewicz, associate professor in the Broadcasting and Cinematic Arts department, estimates he has a 10,000 items spread between VHS tapes, LaserDiscs and DVDs
"I've been sort of a lifelong movie fan," he said. "I collected a lot as a kid."
Jurkiewicz was not always a dedicated collector though.
"I used to collect comic books when I was a kid, but I grew out of them and sold them," Jurkiewicz said. "They would be worth a lot today. I learned my lesson and became sort of an obsessive collector."
Jurkiewicz said the way our society is organized helps foster collecting habits.
"What's interesting about our consumer society and expendable income is that it trains you to have instant gratification," he said. "It helps you to realize the rarity of things. Things like the Internet can feed this obsessive-compulsive collecting."
Some other collectors focus on more specific objects.
West Branch sophomore Jason Graven collects things from the "Final Fantasy" game series.
"I collect anything in the series, games, strategy guides for the games," he said. "I even have replicas of a few of the swords used by characters in the games."
Graven said his ultimate goal is to collect all of the games, even ones only found in Japan.
"When they stop making games is when I'll stop collecting them," he said.
He said his collection started when he rented one of the series when he was younger.
"My dad rented me one for the Super Nintendo when I was seven or so," he said. "I enjoyed it so much, I knew I was hooked."
Not all collections are for personal reasons, however.
Milan junior Joanna Ludwig is collecting beverage can tabs for her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha.
"I think that I've collected about 600 by myself so far," she said. "We usually get around 7,500 tabs per semester."
The sorority will donate the tabs to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
"We do this because we like to help the kids," she said. "It's been going on for years, we turn them in every semester."
news@cm-life.com
But for Kenneth Jurkiewicz, it is a prized possession to his movie collection.
"It's one of my rarest pieces," he said. "It's all really the thrill of discovery."
Gathering objects is a part of human nature; therefore it's no surprise that many different people in the Central Michigan University community collect things significant to them.
Jurkiewicz, associate professor in the Broadcasting and Cinematic Arts department, estimates he has a 10,000 items spread between VHS tapes, LaserDiscs and DVDs
"I've been sort of a lifelong movie fan," he said. "I collected a lot as a kid."
Jurkiewicz was not always a dedicated collector though.
"I used to collect comic books when I was a kid, but I grew out of them and sold them," Jurkiewicz said. "They would be worth a lot today. I learned my lesson and became sort of an obsessive collector."
Jurkiewicz said the way our society is organized helps foster collecting habits.
"What's interesting about our consumer society and expendable income is that it trains you to have instant gratification," he said. "It helps you to realize the rarity of things. Things like the Internet can feed this obsessive-compulsive collecting."
Some other collectors focus on more specific objects.
West Branch sophomore Jason Graven collects things from the "Final Fantasy" game series.
"I collect anything in the series, games, strategy guides for the games," he said. "I even have replicas of a few of the swords used by characters in the games."
Graven said his ultimate goal is to collect all of the games, even ones only found in Japan.
"When they stop making games is when I'll stop collecting them," he said.
He said his collection started when he rented one of the series when he was younger.
"My dad rented me one for the Super Nintendo when I was seven or so," he said. "I enjoyed it so much, I knew I was hooked."
Not all collections are for personal reasons, however.
Milan junior Joanna Ludwig is collecting beverage can tabs for her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha.
"I think that I've collected about 600 by myself so far," she said. "We usually get around 7,500 tabs per semester."
The sorority will donate the tabs to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
"We do this because we like to help the kids," she said. "It's been going on for years, we turn them in every semester."
news@cm-life.com
