Kerry Phillips: A Kept Thing | Oct 22 - Nov 18

WAAM is pleased to present the second part of Kerry Phillips' Accidental Collection Archive, A Kept Thing. In this participatory exhibition exploring Phillips’ living archive of objects and documentation spanning twenty years, we invite you to collaborate and contribute the memory of your own “kept thing”.

In the first part of the series, (Un)forgetting, Phillps underscored the often overlooked, unpredictable, and incidental nature of the archival impulse. How do we gather, collect, and accumulate objects? And how do these collected objects convey personal/collective memory over time?

In this second part, A Kept Thing, Phillips focuses on how meaning and value are ascribed to objects which often have little to no value apart from their ability to conjure a cherished moment, person, or place. She invites viewers to consider, reflect and share their experiences with an object-turned-treasure by following these steps:

1 - Think of something that’s become a treasured kept thing.
2 - Draw it.
3 - Write the memory of why you treasure it.
4 - Leave your response in the jar when you visit.

We also invite you to participate in the online collecting of "Kept Things" and their stories by filling out this form.

Your contributions will be included in the online archive- A Kept Thing.