I’ve always been charmed by the number of Little Free Libraries in Montclair, and shortly after my son Conrad left home to go to art school, I was walking around town, missing him and admittedly feeling a little envious of all the art he'd get to make and see in college. As I walked, I kept passing by Free Little Libraries, and I thought, Why can’t art be in these boxes instead of books? Suddenly I realized I wanted miniature art galleries all over town.

So as with any good idea, I googled it, and sure enough, I learned there is a vibrant culture of sharing art through Free Little Libraries. You take a piece and leave a piece. So fun! Except I'm not an artist. But I don’t give up on exciting ideas that easily, so I tried to do those DIY Instagram videos. Unfortunately, the results were hardly swappable. I became discouraged and mentioned to Conrad that it didn't seem like trading art would work for me. He encouraged me to think bigger. I realized I could still create a community by exhibiting miniature art I loved so much that I wanted to put it on my front lawn.

Luckily, I had artists in my life who were open to going tiny. The first and foremost was Yana Rodin, who immediately offered to make a series of petite paintings for the space. Tiny Gallery was just an empty wooden box until her package of miniature magic arrived. Her pieces convinced me that tiny was a very big idea.

I created Tiny Gallery at a time when my work felt overwhelming and I needed something precious and beautiful to help center myself. In a very short time, I realized that there is tremendous power in finding peace in things you can fit in the palm of your hand. For me, and many of us, life can loom large, but we can come together over small moments of wonder.

It’s been over a year since Tiny Gallery started. Each month, I exhibit the work of fearless artists who understand the not-so-tiny challenge of working small. If you are an artist who wants to scale down, please reach out. If you are an art enthusiast who wants your own big, tiny idea on your front lawn, contact me about starting your own Tiny Gallery. I’d love to hear from you!

A special thanks to my son Conrad and my husband, David, who built the gallery, despite me being quite the not-so-tiny bossypants.

—Francesca