Free Little Art Gallery opens in Sharpsburg
Sharing art and building community.
That’s the mission of the newly unveiled Free Little Art Gallery in Sharpsburg.
Situated at 713 Main St., the stand is similar to the Free Little Library and Pantry stands that have popped up in recent years.
Caleb Adams, co-founder and Dorseyville Middle School student, said the gallery is a free and easy way to support creativity.
“Having an engaging art community is so important to me, now more than ever,” Adams said. “It feels great to have such an accessible gallery in the community to keep people creating.”
The box is open 24/7 for people to admire, contribute or take artwork.
“The largest 2D size that fits comfortably is about six inches by six inches,” said co-founder Nanci Goldberg, a longtime art teacher at Fox Chapel Area School District. “Anything smaller works, the tinier the better.”
Caleb’s mom, Susan, said she was inspired by a story about a similar gallery in Seattle and shared it with her son.
“He loved the idea and we engaged Mrs. Goldberg over Zoom,” Susan Adams said. “Boom, a few months later it is in the ground and people are sharing art.”
Adams said it was a collective effort of friends helping to get the small structure in place.
She credited Goldberg for inspiring Caleb’s love of art and for helping make the dreams of the gallery a reality.
“Art doesn’t need to be large or cost a lot to be valuable,” Susan Adams said. “This is proof of that.”
Now that the stand is erected and others are interacting with it daily, organizers said it is exciting to watch the contents continually change.
Goldberg said it was the community engagement aspect that drew her in.
“We are all really pleasantly surprised how quickly it took off and how many people have participated in just the first week,” she said.
There’s been a mix of photography, drawings, watercolor paintings, mixed media art, pour paintings and more.
“We love the variety of art and encourage small 3D works also,” Goldberg said.
“Art helps everyone feel good and we want everyone to be creative and add to the arts in Sharpsburg.”
Artists are encouraged to print their name on the back of the piece in an effort to build their portfolio. Photos are shared on Instagram.
For more information, visit Instagram @flagsharpsburg or flagsharpsburg.wixsite.com/website.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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