BY ANITA STIEFEL
EDITOR@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — The official opening of the Free Little Art Galleries, sponsored by the Art Haus, was celebrated Oct. 2 at the site of the third Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG) installation at the Opelika Public Library, 1100 Glenn St. FLAGs are also on display Covington Rec Center and downtown at the corner of S. Railroad and 9th Street.
The goal of the Free Little Art Galleries is to provide a creative space for the community to share the love of art. The galleries were built by Opelika High School Engineering students for the Art Haus through a grant from the Henry J. Stern Family Foundation. Artwork in the gallery will be curated by the Opelika High School Art Club.
As the signs posted on each gallery state, “Have a look around one of the smallest art galleries in town. We hope you will take a piece of art, leave a piece of art or both. The gallery is for everyone, so help spread the word and the love of art!”
It all started when J. Stern and Ginger Stern, founders of the Art Haus in downtown Opelika, were inspired to start the Free Little Art Galleries here after hearing about and seeing pictures of a similar project in New Orleans.
A volunteer-run, ad-free website, www.freelittleartgalleries.art, reports there is no formal organization for Free Little Art Galleries: “Seattle-based artist Stacy Milrany is generally credited with creating the first one in late 2020, and the idea has caught on. Most are built by individuals and set up in front of their homes. Some are in public libraries, schools, art supply stores, on the grounds of art museums. They number in the hundreds — that we know of.”
So far, the website has mapped the locations of 574 FLAGs, with more popping up.
J. and Ginger Stern’s idea for Opelika’s FLAGs was to make three miniature versions of the Art Haus (located at 500 N. Railroad Ave.) and display them in various sections of town. Architect Behzad Nakhjavan of BBN Designs scaled down the plans of the Art Haus to provide engineering students at Opelika High School with dimensions and guidelines to build the miniature versions. The project was completed over the summer.
Thanks to the following for making this project happen: Ginger Stern, J. Stern, The Art Haus, Henry J. Stern Family Foundation, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, Rosanna McGinnis of the Opelika Public Library, Sam Bailey of Covington Rec Center, John Swin of the city of Opelika Public Works Department, OHS engineering students Carson Bass and Jayme Manning and teacher Adrianna Padgett.
For more information on the Art Haus, visit opelikaarthaus.com.