Good things come in small packages…and small spaces.
The Little Window Gallery exhibits work by local artists in a box set into the brick facade of All Saints Episcopal Church at 43-12 46th St. in Sunnyside.
Katie Berka’s Plastic Rings is currently on display. Alongside the painting, she asks: “Is there something you keep in a place of honor that has value…just to you?” (The responses are shared on LWG’s Instagram.)
Launched last April, the spot previously featured ceramic sculptures, collage, multimedia installations, other paintings, and photography. The goal is to generate community, conversation, and delight for passersby, but there’s also “an economy of blessing,” according to Fr. Carl Adair, who spearheads the project.
Artists receive up to $100 for their items, and after a piece has been on display for a few weeks, LWG gives it away. (Respond to Instagram.questions for the chance to win one.)
All Saints closed in 2020, but Father Carl is leading an Episcopal Mission to create a new spiritual community in Sunnyside. The gallery reflects its mission.
“The gospel is all about things which have been cast down being raised up, and things which have grown old being made new,” he stated. “This window box had been used for signage, but was full of cobwebs and dust: it was exciting to imagine how it could be adaptively reused as a blessing to the whole neighborhood.”
Father Carl added that LWG’s inspiration came from the small-scale lending libraries that popped up during the pandemic, such as the Sunnyside Book and Media Swap which is still going strong on Skillman Avenue and 43rd Street.
“Those initiatives make me feel part of a community where people share their gifts with one another,” he said. “And I was meeting all these people in the neighborhood who have art practices that sustain them. Could we make a space where those gifts could be shared as well?”
Click here to submit art for consideration.
Editor’s note: Pastor Carl and LWG are part of periodic art crawls that Raluca Anchidin organizes in Sunnyside.
Images: Rob MacKay