In celebration of 40 years of Art in Downtown Athens, the rotating exhibition, “Forty of Something, Collections from our Community” has renewed its appeal at the Lyndon House Arts Center.

While the collections greatly vary, it always features a constant number: 40 examples, 40 specimens or 40 treasures.

This month, Lyndon House Arts Center presents 40 Hollywood movie stills from the collection of Mike Landers.

 “Collecting movie memorabilia has been one of my enduring hobbies,” Landers said. “Movie stills are a great thing to collect because they’re small, easy to store and easy to display.”

Most of the time, movie stills are recreations of specific scenes from a movie. But Landers said the most interesting ones are usually the promotional stills of stars or candid shots of the stars, director, and crew.

“I like them all,” he said.

“I’ve loved movies my entire life,” Landers continued. “I remember my first trip to the movie theater when I was very young. I saw ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ with my Mom at the Palace Theatre in downtown Athens. The theatre seemed enormous, and was packed with kids and their parents. That spectacle of seeing a movie with a large crowd in a packed theater left an impression on me. It’s that same moviegoing experience that I still crave today. The smell of popcorn. The buzz of the crowd. The lights go down and the curtains part and the excitement builds. Previews, cartoons,and then the music swells as the studio logo and titles are displayed. It’s magic and a magical experience. “

A photographer and Athens resident, Landers Tcollecting interests have included furniture and decorative arts, old phonograph records (78s, LPs, 45s), art glass, cookie jars, toy rayguns, modern porcelain vases, ties, pocket squares, shoes and movie memorabilia.

For more information, call 706-613-3623 or visit athensclarkecounty.com/lyndonhouse.