Local folk-art collector fascinated by the strange, unusual and really old
By Brant Stacy, Jayplay writer
If it's freaky, strange, unusual or just really old, then he's got to have it. He's got hundreds of sock monkeys, a frame holding Elvis' toenail and X-rays of Siamese twins. His fascination with death has led him to collect post-mortem pictures, human skulls and baby coffins, which he displays in his kitchen. Randy Walker, a local folk art collector, has devoted much of his life to collecting and educating himself about the strange, unusual and the forgotten.
When I met Randy in February, I stood nervously in his cold, dark, smoky living room waiting for him to find the light switch. As light from a dusty chandelier flooded the room, it revealed Randy, wearing a black cowboy hat and smoking a cigarette, and also porcelain black panthers, stuffed animal parts, Popsicle stick lamps and a picture of a woman holding a dead baby. Randy took another drag on his cigarette and invited me to sit down. As I made my way toward a pair of antique chairs, I struggled to take my eyes off the black-and-white photo of the dead baby cradled in the woman's arms. Randy asked whether I had ever seen a picture like that before. When I said no, his face suddenly lit up and he exclaimed, "That's why I collect it. It freaks people out."
His strange collections also educate and inspire people. Last summer, 75 items of Randy's collection were exhibited at the Kansas Historical Museum in Topeka. Rebecca Martin, assistant museum director, helped coordinate the exhibit, which was about collectors and their hobbies. Randy, who was featured primarily for his decorating techniques, participated alongside 19 other collectors. Randy's exhibit explored the vibrant culture of the 1950s and '60s and was arranged similar to his tiny living room back in Lawrence. It featured items such as a sectional sofa, porcelain black panthers, genie lamps and flamingo prints. Martin traveled to Randy's home in Lawrence to help pick out items for the exhibit. She says she was blown away by the nostalgia of Randy's collection, "Randy is definitely a serious and over-the-top collector who has a personality that makes you see things out of the ordinary."
Besides museums, Randy's collections and decorating techniques have also been featured in books and magazines, including Shout, Details and KU's Kiosk. A book released in 2002, Kansas Curiosities and Oddities by Pam Grout, highlights Randy and his giant sock-monkey collection. Randy admits he is sentimental toward this particular collection, which covers an entire red-velvet sofa in his house. Most of the stuffed monkeys he owns, which aren't for sale, cost from 10 cents to a quarter. However, he receives a lot of the panty-hose-stuffed creatures from older women in the Lawrence community who have heard of his collection. He says he is always happy to give a sock monkey a good home.
Monkey shines: Lawrence collector Randy Walker reclines with his treasured s collection. Walker's house overflows with his eclectic oddities.
Kitsch-en: When Randy Walker sits down to eat, he shares his dinner with baby