Tiny Art celebrates creativity
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The dregs of February are once again blasted away with creativity in the form of the annual Tiny Art display at the Putnam Public Library.
The brainchild of Adult Services Librarian Nicole Nichols, would-be artists pick up a 3”x3” canvas and some art supplies from the library and return with a work of art.
Nichols said this year 89 of the canvases were returned and she’ll still take any that are still out there.
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence some 43 canvases were “Revolutionary/Patriotic” and there were 46 others. Nichols said the exhibit runs through the end of February, possibly longer because of the special anniversary.
This is the third annual Tiny Art.
Nichols said: “When I started as the Adult Services Librarian in 2023, I was exploring ways to increase community involvement through passive library programming. I learned that quite a few libraries had hosted Tiny Art events, and knowing how much value our Quiet Corner places on The Arts and creative self-expression, it seemed like a perfect fit! Community members have begun to look forward to participating in our annual Tiny Art show, and many have told me that they begin planning their design months ahead.”
She added, “Participation is open to anyone aged 13 and up. There is an impressive array of diversity and creativity. In addition to paintings on canvas, the show features sculpture, collage, decoupage, crochet, counted cross-stitch, intaglio, origami- even floral arrangement!”
Nichols said: “The goal of the event is simply to celebrate creativity and individuality though, non-competitive, free-form expression. This year, we offered an optional ‘Remembering the Revolution’ theme for America’s 250th, and we were pleasantly surprised that nearly half of the participants chose to do honor our nation’s history through art.”
She added: “Libraries are about so much more than just books and computers... They are a safe space where people can come together to think, share ideas, learn and grow. Tiny Art at Putnam Public Library creates a platform for creative expression on a scale that enables a large number of people to participate in a public art exhibit. We invite people of all ages to enter into our space to enjoy and contemplate the Tiny Art.”
.
captions:
All the Tiny Art photos will appear Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photos.