(MIRROR INDY) — The world of Little Free Libraries and Community Food Boxes has a new pal: Tiny neighborhood art gallery.
Savannah Jacob, a full-time ceramicist, and her friend, Paul Williams, are the creators behind the Neighbors Gallery in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood.
“It’s waiting for you to discover it, versus going to a museum or gallery,” Jacob, a Herron School of Art and Design graduate, said.
Jacob, who has lived in Bates-Hendricks for five years, said she wanted to invest in the growing arts community that has accepted her work and ideas.
The Neighbors Gallery itself is a piece of art. Jacob and Williams worked together on the design.
Williams is building the gallery at Machyne Makerspace inside The Amp at 16 Tech. The gallery will be two feet long by two feet wide by six feet high. It will live in a strip of grass along South New Jersey Street.
Unlike a Little Free Library, the art on display will be free to view but not take. The gallery will be locked and you can purchase the art you want on Jacob’s website. Items can be picked up at the gallery or shipped to your home.
You can attend a grand unveiling of the Neighbors Gallery from 3-5 p.m. May 24 at the site. The event will feature live music and a chance to meet artists and neighbors.
To fund the project, Jacob applied for a $5,000 grant through the Indy Arts Council, with the majority of the money going to production costs. The idea came from her desire to connect local artists to the places where people gather in her neighborhood, also called third spaces. Lincoln Lane Coffee Company and the local community garden are walking distance to where Neighbors Gallery will be.
She said she hopes the project gives more visibility to Bates-Hendricks, which is wedged between Garfield Park and Fountain Square — two well-established art communities.
Jacob and Williams are accepting 2D and 3D art submissions for the Neighbors Gallery, including posters and sculptures from 10 artists. The deadline to submit is May 6.
Artists who live in Bates-Hendricks, Fountain Square, Old Southside and Garfield Park are preferred, but all artists in Indianapolis will be considered. The first ten artists will be paid $100 and keep all proceeds from any sales.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
