SAG HARBOR, NY — Beloved actor Tom Hanks is sharing something he cares deeply about with the world — his beloved typewriter collection.
Hanks is a well-known collector, with hundreds reportedly marking his long-standing love affair with typewriters, a veritable window into the past.
And now, Hanks has offered a sample of his collection for an exhibit, “Some of Tom's Typewriters,” to be held at The Churcha center for art, creativity and community located at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.
The event opens on Saturday and will feature 35 typewriters from Tom Hanks' extensive collection.
“Hand-selected by Hanks, these typewriters showcase the history of the device, its evolution and cultural significance. Hanks will record an audio guide for the show,” a Church spokesperson said.
Acclaimed creative director Simon Doonan designed the exhibition, transforming the unique space of the Church into an impressive and immersive visual display.
The exhibition opens with a reception on January 11 and runs through March 10, offering visitors an in-depth look at the design, innovation and history of the iconic machines.
“These machines, strange, complex, yet ridiculously simple – have so much to teach us about history and culture. My aim is to highlight their fascination, mechanical majesty and social significance,” said Doonan.
Hanks has shared his love of typewriters, reportedly wrapping them with love and a handwritten note and sending them to typewriter stores across the country and the world, ABC News reported. He even wrote a book of short stories, a tribute to the art form, “Uncommon Type,” NPR said.
In an interview with NPR, Hanks said, “There's something that I find reassuring, comforting, dazzling that here's a very specific device that's meant to do one thing and it does it perfectly. And that one thing is to translate Thoughts into your mind on paper Now, that means everything from a shopping list to James Joyce's list Odysseus. Without carving words into stone with a hammer and chisel, they are not much more permanent than a paragraph or a sentence or a love letter or a story typed on paper.”
For more information about the exhibition, click here.
