THE LONGER F.L.A.G. STORY
The Free Little Art Gallery opened December 13th, 2020 but the idea for it goes back further.
In March of 2019, my mom began four months of chemo treatment. Living several hours away I couldn’t be with her most days, I started mailing her a postcard-sized piece of art every single day of her treatment—something made by human hands in hopes of adding brightness to those dark days.
Others joined me and I hoped it would let her know she had a team of people (some of whom she didn't even know) on her side and thinking of her.
During her treatment she accumulated about 145 4"x 6" pieces filled with beauty and color containing sentiments of optimism, and sometimes pure ridiculousness.
That October we celebrated Donna's cancer-free-ness with a small Stayin’ Alive celebration....
Cut to March 2020 when the world was asked to stay at home and hide from each other.
Again I started making postcard-sized pieces of art and mailing them via USPS to friends and family. Then offered them to followers on Instagram. This small 'Dose of Art' was an attempt to bring some light and levity during such an uncertain time. Not to mention, a personal pandemic coping strategy.
Finding a more efficient way to share these small works along my longtime love of the Little Free Libraries eventually led to the idea for a little gallery.
It wasn't the first one in the world but I couldn’t find an example of what I envisioned—as a contemporary art gallery with simple clean lines, white walls, a natural wood floor, and of course a bench in the middle of the gallery. I sketched the basic structure and with the help of friends with table saws, got to work on building.
In its first 30 days about 90 pieces from various people had come and gone.
Among the many things that define "art" is simply proof of human existence. And it brings us together by reminding us we've been here, are here, and will be here sharing this common human experience called life.
Believing that more art should and CAN be more accessible to more people—paintings, poems, song, and dance—these personal expressions of our “human-ness” and I'm hopeful this little gallery inspires more creativity, sharing and self-expression.