Free Little Art Galleries

One of the hippest neighborhoods in East Lansing just got hipper. Building on the immensely popular Little Free Library program, the East Lansing Arts Commission, in cooperation with 10 Glencairn homeowners, has launched Free Little Art Galleries.

The concept is simple: Visitors can take a piece of art from the miniature galleries or leave one behind. The idea is to engage the community in creating and sharing art.

So far, the art has been quite creative, from hand-painted rocks and flowerpots to small watercolor paintings and line drawings.

“The turnover is great,” Arts Commission Chair Barbara Worgess said. “If people see something they want, they can take it, or they can put something in if they like.”

She said other Glencairn homeowners have contacted the Arts Commission to see if they can get one.

Worgess recently saw two little girls standing in front of one of the boxes, looking at the art. “It was so cute,” she said.

There are other places around the country that have similar programs, but nothing like this exists in Michigan, Worgess said.

“We wanted to make the boxes look like a gallery, and other neighborhoods are showing an interest,” she said. “The little box projects required some changes at the city level, which gives us more flexibility.”

She said it takes close to an hour to visit each box. Maps are available at the front desk of the Hannah Community Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday or at the East Lansing Public Library from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.