It has been said that good things sometimes come in small packages and, in the case of the first ever "Everything Small" art exhibit, the old adage holds true.
More than 40 artists from the Mid-Ohio Valley and surrounding states were challenged to think outside the box and submit entries in any type of media, with a stipulation: they could not exceed a perimeter of five inches.
The miniature works of art will be on public display until May 9 at the Riverside Artists Gallery on Second Street and all are available for purchase.
Article Photos
ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times
Riverside Artists Gallery member Lynda Rhodes arranges pieces on display for the “Everything Small” Exhibit on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s opening reception.
"It really has been a labor of love," said gallery member and Athens resident Bonnie Proudfoot. "I feel it is so important to do things like this ... to show that fine arts and fine crafts are the same thing, on the same par of excellence."
Proudfoot jumped at the chance to help organize the event when approached by Cathy Norosky, an artist with the gallery who initially had the inspiration for the exhibit.
"I just love the idea. It is an unusual slant, a real challenge, and people really rose to the challenge," she said.
Fact Box
If you go
What: "Everything Small" Exhibit, featuring miniature works from more than 40 local and regional artists in a variety of media.
Where: Riverside Artists Gallery, 219 Second St.
When: Exhibit runs through May 9; an opening reception and awards presentation will be held Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m.
Proudfoot will have two pieces on display that show off her skills in warm glass, or kiln forming.
"I created two cubes that you can look inside of and really see the detail," she said. "The two pieces took about 40 hours each. It's absolutely the smallest thing I've ever worked on in my life."
Art pieces using every media from glass and wood to metal and clay were submitted by artists ages 11 and up, according to Norosky, who will have some of her painted and carved gourds on display as well.
The idea came from similar shows that Norosky had seen in her travels. Preparations for the exhibition were underway when an arson fire destroyed the gallery's former home roughly a block away in March 2010.
"I thought that this was suited to our smaller gallery space and something that would really challenge the artists," Norosky said.
The works of art, not including those submitted by members, will be juried and prizes will be awarded for creativity.
"We hope that this grows into an annual show and a respected show,"Norosky said.
