Amy Schneider: Obsessed Curator and Photographer

Curious about the destinations of Halloween art pieces? The story doesn’t end with the artists finishing the pieces of art…their stories continue in the hands of collectors.

I’m pleased to introduce you to Amy Schneider, one of the most Halloween obsessed people I’ve ever met. Amy has collected Halloween art for over two decades. She is a passionate advocate for original Halloween art and artists.

Amy loves collecting Halloween treasures and oddities and using them to build magazine-cover worthy displays. Each year she conjures up a new theme. Once the display is up, she welcomes community groups, students, friends, artists, and more to come enjoy her collection. You may also see Amy capturing the magic at Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween this year – she’s the show photographer!

When she isn’t busy with Halloween activities, you may find her with her husband and sons, working at the town veterinary clinic with her dad and brother, or taking pictures of shelter pets looking for new homes. Amy is the neighbor and best friend of Halloween artist, Avery Applegate, my guest in episode 5.

Amy has always loved Halloween. Her birthday is near Halloween; she often had a Halloween themed party in lieu of a birthday party. Her dad loved to pretend to be a ghost and freak out her friends. Her mom is a wonderful decorator, who is skilled at haunting their Victorian home.

Amy inherited the collector gene from her parents. Her mom collects vintage Ouija boards and her dad collects veterinary antiques. They’ve always had strange things like Victorian hair art. Her aunt would take her on trips and encourage her to get a piece of art to commemorate the trip.

Amy loves her “odd” pets. Her wonderful dog, Homer, is missing an eye and has an overbite. Her cat is missing a leg, and the office cat is missing an eye. Amy sees joy and beauty in things that others might think is weird.

Amy may have slept in the same bed as famous conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker. They visited a hotel in her town. After the hotel closed, the furnishings went up for auction. Amy’s mom purchased the most beautiful bed in the auction. Amy’s mom concluded it must have been from the room the Bunker twins stayed in. They still have the bed in Amy’s childhood bedroom.

Amy gets excited when she thinks about getting new art. She loves knowing that a piece is the only one in the world. She’s a connector – she loves pairing up people with art.

She is always on the hunt – that’s how you curate a good collection. She purchases all year and finds Halloween and creepy art at regular art shows. One of her favorite finds was Genevieve Geer, who she nominated her to be in the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show.

Amy’s collection includes commissions, many of them featuring her dog, Homer. Nina Vivian Huryn did an incredible one for her, transforming a plain antique rocker into a masterpiece. She painted a skeletal body on it. The skull of the skeleton is on a throw pillow. Nina encouraged her to use the chair all the time – and that wiping Cheeto hands on it will only make it look better.

Amy gets in line in the middle of the night during shows - there’s so much fun in that. Collectors need to run from artist to artist in a total frenzy to get their favorite pieces.

Amy loves to see the new artists first. In Sam Keck’s first year, she purchased conjoined emu twins in a vintage baby carriage from her. The first time she met Stacey Walsh, she purchased a “sweetest thing” anthropomorphic lamb dressed as a witch.

Every year she does a featured room and moves decorations around. Usually she starts decorating in August.  One year she turned her living room into a side-show. Last year she converted her living room into a Victorian funeral parlor featuring an ouija board by Isaac Bidwell.

Amy hosts several open houses a year, welcoming people of all ages. Amy once changed a woman’s mind about Halloween. She came in saying “I don’t think this will interest me.” At the end of the evening she admitted she really did like her collection.

Amy sees photography as an extension of her memory. As the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween photographer, she will capture pictures of the artists with their favorite pieces and showcase happy collectors.

Everywhere she travels, she looks for something Halloween related. New York City is one of the best places to score treasures. Amy and Avery are planning a trip to the Mutter and Edward Gorey Museums. She encourages all of us to collect original art during our travels.

Follow Amy on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/halloweenartcollector/.

My website is www.halloweenartandtravel.com. Tell a friend who loves Halloween to give us a listen.