Tiny gallery on Charlottetown street displays barrier-free artwork

A quiet street in downtown Charlottetown is home to a new unique display.

A tiny gallery, the smallest professional art display in the city, opened earlier this summer and has played host to four exhibits so far. 

It’s a small space -- about 14 x 14 x 20 inches -- but that’s by design.

It’s a space that’s manageable for an artist without a lot of professional experience to put something on, or one who has professional experience to create something that they wouldn’t normally work on.

The gallery's size also means that it can be right on the side of the street for people walking by to stop and look at, making it barrier free art and a unique opportunity for artists.

“It’s like a diorama that you make at school,” said BJ Lecours, the current featured artist. “The pallet is clear, it’s this much space and gives you an awesome amount of constraints to dream up something manageable.”

Along with the lower cost of materials for a small piece, it’s a simple and relatively easy way to brighten up the community.

“It really adds to the vibrancy of our city,” said Lecours. “It really does make art more accessible, it’s literally taking it out of the gallery and into the street. I think it makes our city more accessible, it makes us want to walk. It gives us interesting things to see along our path.”

At the end of each run, the lock is taken off and community members are free to take home a piece of the exhibit for themselves. They're also encouraged to leave something behind.

“When they opened it, actually, I do a little art myself, I saw someone put in a CD that they made, so I dropped off a little art piece that I made,” said Olivia St-Laurent, who lives in the neighbourhood. “Then someone picked it up and messaged me on Instagram. They were like, ‘I saw your art and it was really cool.’”

A local artist living in the neighbourhood said she hopes to put something together next time the lock comes off.

“So, I’d like to create an exhibit with children and maybe pop that in there for the kids of the community,” said Becca Griffin.“So they know that it’s okay to make art, and it’s cool to make art, and it’s cool to trade art too.”

Organizers hope this big idea brings a little good into the community.