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Office of Collecting: Flatlay Workshops

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
10:30 a.m.
Cost:
Free
Add to Calendar 2026-10-10 10:30:00 2026-09-08 07:35:39 Office of Collecting: Flatlay Workshops About The WorkshopThe Office of Collecting & Design is known for their photographs, specifically a type of image called a flatlay: a careful arrangement of objects photographed from directly above.In these workshops, curator Jessica Oreck arrives with two giant tubs of treasure pulled from the museum's collections and turns visitors loose to sort through them. Once each person has gathered an array of objects that appeal to them, Jessica coaches them through composing a flatlay of their own, photographs it, and sends them home with a tiny instant film print.The workshop builds an appreciation for the overlooked details of daily life. Participants often say they leave seeing the world with fresh eyes: objects they would once have tossed or walked past take on new purpose, which opens up questions about what "value" really means and invites new forms of reuse.Please note: This free event will be hosted with a larger group inside the Chandler Museum, led by Jessica Oreck. This event is separate from the paid Flatlay Experiences hosted in The Office of Collecting, which will located in the Chandler Museum parking lot from Oct. 7 - 11.Reserve Your SpotAbout The Art Talk/Film ScreeningThreading together short films, trailers, and animations, Jessica Oreck traces the trajectory of a practice built on collecting the invisible.  Not the magical, science fiction kind, but the everyday details so familiar they've slipped beneath our awareness.  Between screenings, she talks about what carries from one project to the next: the research, the analogue materials, the pull toward the overlooked. From documentary features and TED-commissioned animations and from art galleries to a museum in a 42’ trailer that travels the country, it’s a case for wonder as a working method, and for paying attention to what everyone else has forgotten. City of Chandler info@chandleraz.gov America/Phoenix public
Flatlay Workshops

About The Workshop

The Office of Collecting & Design is known for their photographs, specifically a type of image called a flatlay: a careful arrangement of objects photographed from directly above.

In these workshops, curator Jessica Oreck arrives with two giant tubs of treasure pulled from the museum's collections and turns visitors loose to sort through them. Once each person has gathered an array of objects that appeal to them, Jessica coaches them through composing a flatlay of their own, photographs it, and sends them home with a tiny instant film print.

The workshop builds an appreciation for the overlooked details of daily life. Participants often say they leave seeing the world with fresh eyes: objects they would once have tossed or walked past take on new purpose, which opens up questions about what "value" really means and invites new forms of reuse.

Please note: This free event will be hosted with a larger group inside the Chandler Museum, led by Jessica Oreck. This event is separate from the paid Flatlay Experiences hosted in The Office of Collecting, which will located in the Chandler Museum parking lot from Oct. 7 - 11.

Reserve Your Spot

About The Art Talk/Film Screening

Threading together short films, trailers, and animations, Jessica Oreck traces the trajectory of a practice built on collecting the invisible.  Not the magical, science fiction kind, but the everyday details so familiar they've slipped beneath our awareness.  Between screenings, she talks about what carries from one project to the next: the research, the analogue materials, the pull toward the overlooked. From documentary features and TED-commissioned animations and from art galleries to a museum in a 42’ trailer that travels the country, it’s a case for wonder as a working method, and for paying attention to what everyone else has forgotten.