The Fine Art of Collecting

Oliver Ranch

Spark shows that collecting can be an art form unto itself, when we meet collectors who have turned a casual interest into a lifelong passion. Spend the day with John Held Jr., who saved every scrap of mail art he received, day after day for almost 30 years, as he continues to build his collection, one stamp at a time. Then get a private tour of Steven Oliver‘s Sonoma County ranch with one of the country’s most ambitious private collections of site-specific art. Finally, see the collection extraordinaire of folk, tramp and self-taught art that fills every nook and cranny of Bonnie Grossman‘s home-turned-gallery, The Ames Gallery.

The Fine Art of Collecting 11 August,2015Spark

In this Episode


John Held Jr.

Take a walk to the post office with John Held Jr. as he picks up his latest delivery, adding to his collection of more than 30,000 pieces of mail art.



Steven Oliver

Take a tour with Steven Oliver, a successful contractor who puts his passion for contemporary art to work at his Sonoma Valley Ranch.



The Ames Gallery

Find out which piece in Bonnie Grossman's collection started The Ames Gallery.


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