David Barnhill and Stephen Rueff- Spies and Space
David Barnhill and Stephen Rueff are creators of the Spies and Space Exhibit, which will be shown at the Museum this summer. Their discussion will highlight the years after WWII from 1946 to 1991, when the United States and the Russian Soviet Union we dubbed “superpowers”. As each country vied for dominance, the innovations and scientific advancement became enticements for illicit espionage activity. Both the US and the USSR sought to demonstrate their supremacy by initiating a race to outer space, conducting covert espionage and building up immense nuclear arsenals. This evening’s discussion will focus on how the real-world drama and intrigue of the international espionage, and the fascination with outer space seeped into American and Soviet popular culture during the cold war.
Stephen Yogi Rueff grew up in Minneapolis collecting comic books in the 1960s and loves his role as co-founder of SuperMonster市City!, where he is a curator and managing director. Stephen has worked in the arts as a performer, designer, manager, and producer, touring around the globe with performing artists such as MacArthur Genius Award Recipients Meredith Monk and Bill T. Jones, as well as Blue Man Group, Karen Finley, and many, many other artists and creatives.
As an Account Manager and Executive Producer for global corporate communications companies Jack Morton Worldwide and BI Worldwide, he produced events throughout the United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Czech Republic, and Bahrain.
Stephen enjoys his role as ‘Faculty Advisor/Lead for the Minor in Creative Entrepreneurship’ at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). His academic research in Arts Entrepreneurship explores ways to redefine business practices that can preserve culture and maintain artistic integrity, while being more restorative, regenerative and equitable to all stakeholders.
Stephen’s curatorial research centers on the fictional monsters, superheroes and their creators in American popular culture; the ubiquitous impulse to collect; and how to reveal intimate and personal memories that are embedded into pop culture objects.
Stephen earned his MBA with an emphasis in Leadership and Sustainable Business from Presidio Graduate School. Stephen’s BA from Empire State University, the same college attended by Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man! ‘Nuff said.
David Barnhill has been collecting since the early 1960s. David’s parents felt that anything that inspired him to read and stimulated his imagination was a good thing. As David’s interest in film, literature, and comic books evolved, his parents allowed him to pursue his passion for monsters, villains, superheroes, and the fantastic.
David continued collecting while traveling the world – visiting every continent except Antarctica. David felt it was his mission to buy the scariest and most vicious toys he could find. Inspired by the High Lama in the 1930s film The Lost Horizon, David’s vision was that “in some future time, there will be a need for these amazing toys, spacemen and villains for all to enjoy.”
David’s collection now includes more than 200,000 items, making this Minnesota-based collection one of the largest private toy collections in America. Containing rare and highly sought-after items representing toymakers and monster creators from across the United States and several foreign countries, David co-founded SuperMonster市 City! because he is eager to share his joy in toys, monsters, superheroes, and villains with the world.