America's Monsters, Superheroes, and Villains:
Our Culture at Play
4th Floor Gallery, October 1 through January 31

An exhibition by Minneapolis-based collectors SuperMonster市City!, America's Monsters, Superheroes and Villains: Our Culture At Play offers a wonderfully monstrous survey of vintage toys, models, and posters exploring America's favorite supernatural histories.
 
The exhibit features over 350 vintage original toys, posters, advertising materials, television commercials and movie trailers in this comprehensive exhibition telling the story of six decades of America’s cultural icons.  America's Monsters playfully illustrates how the playtime icons of American culture reflect our country’s changing ideals and serve as historical documentation of our nation’s emerging creativity and evolving norms and conventions.  Museum-goers will come face-to-face with vintage objects and artifacts that illuminate the changes in toy design, children’s play, and social mores across 60 years.

All photos courtesy of Steven Zerby.

Both children and adults love to be safely scared by werewolves, vampires, the Frankenstein Monster, and other misshapen creatures of the night and learn how to do good by superheroes and -sheroes.  This stunning array of toys and advertising designs and packaging bring the monsters, heroes and antiheroes from America’s Golden Era to the Fairfield area for the first time.  The exhibition features creators, designers and artists such as James Bama, Todd McFarlane, Stan Lee, Jim Steranko, and vintage toys from Mattel, Hasbro, Aurora, Marx, and others are included in the exhibition. Informative panels guide attendees through the historical context and creative advances across the decades.
 
Curated by SuperMonster市City! managing director Stephen Rueff, the objects are drawn from master collector David Barnhill’s privately-held, original-owner collection of over 200,000 toys and toy-related posters, film and video collected from around the world, making this one of the largest private collections of toys and toy-related memorabilia in America.

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ALSO....

Please join us at the Hjemkomst Center for an opening reception celebrating America's Monsters, Superheroes, and Villians on Tuesday, October 1, from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided......and costumes are encouraged! SuperMonster市City! will lead a guided tour at 6:00PM.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.....!

Please join us at the Hjemkomst Center for our Hjemkomst Halloween Ball on Tuesday, October 29. We're serving appetizers, a full cash bar, and enjoying tarot readings, carnival games, and live music from Hot Lunch and the Jessica Vines Band. Follow us for more details, and start getting those costumes ready!

All photos courtesy of Steven Zerby.