Free little art galleries in Carrboro encourage people to take art, leave art, love art

In 2020, Seattle-based artist Stacy Milrany built a “free little art gallery": a dollhouse version of an art gallery that people could peer inside and see both small figurines and miniature prints of Milrany's art pieces. About the size of a birdhouse, the idea was to allow locals to place their own art along with hers in the gallery. Over time, people would pass the mini exhibition to either take art, leave art, or both.

This free little art gallery movement would soon spread across the country, eventually reaching the Carrboro community. 

Merril Wolf, a Carrboro resident, was inspired to start a free little art gallery after seeing an article about the Milrany in the midst of the pandemic. After introducing the idea to her neighbors, they decided that Wolf's yard would be a good location, as it opened directly to a sidewalk. 

“We got excited about it because it was the middle of the pandemic and it was something we could all do and contribute to,” Charlotte Smith, Wolf's neighbor and an artist involved in the project, said. 

While it took a few years, Smith’s husband built the little gallery out of old barn wood. The West Carrboro Mini m’Art was officially launched in January of 2022.

“We had a little joke opening as if it were a real gallery, which was fun,” Smith said. “We all dressed up and toasted, made little speeches and had an unveiling.” 

Unknowingly, a few streets away, Bree Kalb was setting up her own little art gallery, inspired by an old friend’s daughter in Richmond, VA. 

She worked with a friend of hers who does woodwork and recruited him to build the little gallery, nicknamed Little Free Art Gallery Carrboro. After working with her former landlord to find a spot in her yard, the project finally launched in February of 2022. 

Much of the art given to the galleries is anonymous, with mediums ranging from postcards to fabric. Wolf said that some of her favorite pieces were a series of digital prints depicting planets and stars. On the back of these prints were haikus, followed by the prompt, 'Can you haiku?'. This started a wave of visitors delivering art with their own haikus. 

“The gallery has been a really fun way to experiment and play with new ideas,” Smith said. 

The amount of art on display often varies depending on the day. On Saturdays, when the Carrboro Farmers' Market is held, the art tends to disappear by nighttime, Kalb said. She added that during the semester, when students are in town, the art also tends to be taken more frequently.  

When the gallery is low on art, Wolf said that she and her neighbors throw a little party where they crank out pieces to fill the display back up.

Smith is one of the most prolific contributors to the gallery, Wolf said. She regularly contributes and is someone Wolf relies on for pieces when the gallery is running low. 

Both galleries are approaching their third year open, and both Wolf and Kalb intend to maintain the integrity of their galleries as places where anyone can bring whatever art they want to. 

“A lot of people are afraid to put things in because they say, ‘I’m not an artist, I don’t know how to make art,’ and I would say throw that idea out the window,” Smith said. “Everything you make is fun, somebody will like it, and it’s a great way to play and be creative.”

Whether the contributing artists want to sign their name, initial or leave their art anonymous, the galleries welcome all experience levels.

“I think Chapel Hill needs one,” Kalb said. “We have two in Carrboro, we need more!”

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