Art at Every Turn: The Art Center’s Little Free Galleries Project

HIGHLAND PARK, IL- The Art Center is launching a new initiative devoted to expanding the outreach of art and making the gallery space more accessible to everyone. The Art Center intends to install Little Free Galleries around the neighborhoods of Highland Park in which passersby can simply stop to enjoy a free look into a gallery or take a work of art and leave one of their own.

The Art Center is a not-for-profit cultural destination that provides inclusive programs, exhibitions and classes to ignite passion for the arts and foster self-expression, dialogue and community engagement. The Art Center offers year round classes that serve thousands of students of all ages and skill levels. From classes to exhibitions, The Art Center acts as a hub of cultural and artistic discovery for the communities of the North Shore.

Little Free Galleries is the newest community outreach enterprise of The Art Center and is a creative and inspiring initiative that aligns seamlessly with The Art Center’s mission to make art accessible to all. These charming, small-scale galleries, similar to Little Free Libraries, serve as mini art hubs where everyone can experience the power of art in their everyday life. Little Free Galleries can act as sealed spaces in which small scale artworks line the walls of the gallery for viewers to experience. They can also act similarly to Little Free Libraries, as a give-and-take opportunity in which a passerby can take home one of the contained works and leave an artwork or art object of their own.

The Art Center aims to place a Little Free Gallery in all nine Highland Park neighborhoods, strengthening their commitment to community engagement and artistic inclusion. In the interest of continuing the effort to spread a passion for art throughout the community, The Art Center offers the opportunity for those who are interested in participating in the project, to help by sponsoring the creation and installation of a Little Free Gallery, or providing a location to host one.

This initiative is an exciting step in The Art Center’s mission to bring art into the heart of the community. Through the encouragement of creativity and connection, the Little Free Galleries project invites everyone to engage with the arts in a meaningful and accessible way. As these miniature galleries begin to take root throughout Highland Park, they will serve not only as symbols of artistic expression, but also The Art Center’s ever growing interest in serving their community and promoting a passion for the arts.