The American Museum of Fly Fishing is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Schottenham as the museum’s full-time Curator. Jim will join the AMFF team on January 1, 2022.
“There are very few people in the world that could fill this role perfectly, and we feel incredibly fortunate that we are able to couple one of the most significant collections of angling related memorabilia with one of the most trusted experts in the industry,” notes AMFF Executive Director Sarah Foster. “Jim’s extraordinary knowledge of vintage tackle, passion for the history of fly fishing and his years of experience in the industry make him the ideal Curator for the American Museum of Fly Fishing.”
Jim held the position of Appraiser/Auction Manager at Lang’s Auctions since 2007. He is a past president of ORCA (Old Reels Collectors Association), and has written for, and been interviewed by, a myriad of publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Anglers Journal, in addition to serving as an editorial associate for Hunting & Fishing Collectibles magazine. Working with the American Sport Fishing Association, Jim provided on-site exhibits of antique and collectible fishing tackle with free appraisal services for the annual outdoor shows in the Northeast.
His personal collecting passions are side-mount fly reels, http://www.sidemountreels.com/ and antique fishing tintype photographs. In 2019, Jim was a guest curator at AMFF with the exhibition Side Effects: William Billinghurst and Early Fly-Reel Culture.
Jim will begin his AMFF journey curating an exhibit chronicling the contributions of Joan and Lee Wulff to the sport of fly fishing. It’s sure to be a fascinating show with the plethora of memorabilia, photos, videos and stories available at his fingertips.
