Joel Haertling’s collection of things on display in the Main Library’s Canyon Gallery from Dec. 9 through Feb. 5. The exhibition “To Have and To Hoard” will showcase a huge, yet comparatively tiny, cross-section of Joel’s collections and will also delve into his collection process.
An eclectic collection by an eccentric character, Joel Haertling’s collection of things on display in the Main Library’s Canyon Gallery from Dec. 9 through Feb. 5. The exhibition “To Have and To Hoard” will showcase a huge, yet comparatively tiny, cross-section of Joel’s collections and will also delve into his collection process.
Joel Haertling and exhibition curator Andrew Novick will be in the Canyon Gallery for the exhibition's opening on Thursday, Dec. 8 from 5 to 6 p.m. to answer questions from the media and take photos. A reception will follow in the gallery from 6 to 8 p.m.
As a collector of ephemera, found art and personal objects, Joel Haertling brings people together through things. He grew up in Boulder, son of the late architect Charles A Haertling and mother piano teacher Viola Brase Haertling. Joel is an avid musician, filmmaker, photographer and collector. He worked for the Boulder Public Library for over 30 years. In total, he has ten storage spaces in Boulder. Joel loves garage sales, making friends with the people at the garage sales and has a great notion of what he has acquired from who. All of which has been meticulously archived, both in his mind and on paper, in a huge 3-ring binder full of notes and photos.
The curator of this exhibition Andrew Novick is based out of Denver and specializes in creating experiences, including a recent takeover of the Lakeside Amusement Park for a Denver film fundraiser and a surrealist ice cream shoppe for Denver Immersive Gathering. He also “performs” entertaining PowerPoint presentations (GetYourGoing), is an avid pop-culture and experimental photographer, and he has created several experiential events and installations, including work in Meow Wolf Denver.