Glen Arbor Arts Center’s Little Free Art Gallery brings art to the masses
By Katie Dunn
Sun contributor
There is a phenomenon—albeit a very small one—sweeping the country, and it has made its way to Glen Arbor: the “Free Little Art Gallery” (FLAG). It was the ingenious idea of Glen Arborite, Michele Aucello, to install one on the grounds of the Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC). Founded in May 2021, Aucello branded the micro-gallery: the “Little Free Art Gallery.” Despite the differentiating nomenclature, its purpose and spirit are indistinguishable from that of the countless FLAGs in existence: “Make Art, Take Art, Love Art.”
The FLAG concept continues to gain traction. FLAGs are represented in a variety of cities across the United States—Denver, Colorado, to Louisville, Kentucky, to Houston, Texas, and more. Also, the phenomenon is not singular to the United States: Canada, Germany, and Poland, for instance, are also a part of this burgeoning art culture. There even is a website dedicated to directing folks to a FLAG in their area. (findafreelittleartgallery.com)
In a sense, the FLAG phenomenon is meant to redress the notion that the fine arts are elitist or inaccessible. FLAGS are, in essence, very much egalitarian. They make the arts approachable—a safe place for one to self-express. FLAGs also are an anecdote, or alternative, to the stratosphere of Robert Motherwell, Clifford Still, Ellsworth Kelly, and their contemporaries, whose works were monumental and dominating.
Aucello, formerly on the board of the GAAC and an admitted aesthete, was inspired by a FLAG that was already in existence in nearby Benzie County. Her aim was to draw attention to the GAAC campus itself, and it was thought that a FLAG would be useful in that regard. Aucello also wanted to provide an outlet for artistic creativity and a place for art appreciation.
“A few years ago, when I was on the GAAC Board, we were brainstorming about how to attract people back to the property since it is kind of hidden from the road (Lake Street). Flags or banners, perhaps, along the walkway? I mentioned a free little library, but someone pointed out that Glen Arbor already had three—at Blu, Thompson’s Inn across the street from [Anderson’s Market], and one on Northwood Drive (Annabel Cochran Moore). It must have been a year or two later when COVID hit, and we were working on the Outdoor Gallery—discussing pop-ups to be held outside and watching what other art organizations were doing to promote art safely. I saw that the Oliver Art Center in Benzie had a Little Free Art Gallery. I could not believe I had not thought of it myself! I contacted the Oliver Art Center to see if they would mind if we copied the idea. They said the more the merrier,” Aucello explained.
Aucello enlisted local carpenters from the Traverse City Man Shed to construct the pint-size museum. Set in the grove area of the GAAC, the FLAG is a simple wooden box that stands on a pedestal and is clad in bright red paint.
“I thought it would pop out,” Aucello recounted. “You can see it from Lake Street. We are always thinking of ways to draw people’s attention to GAAC,” she elaborated.
Initially, the GAAC FLAG was stocked with artwork from Aucello’s bi-monthly “Make A Little Art” group. The first meeting was held out at the Lavender Farm on Bohemian Road in 2021. Aucello brought miniature canvases—3X3—and materials. She invited friends from the Glen Arbor community to sketch or paint whatever they had observed on that particular day. Aucello made “Make A Little Art” kits: baskets containing papers, pens, and markers, and dropped them off at the Cottage Bookstore, Glen Arbor Wines, and the weekly Leelanau Farmers Market behind Glen Arbor Village Hall. Attached to the art kit was a small easel that invited participants to create diminutive masterpieces to keep for their own personal enjoyment or to donate to the GAAC FLAG.
Presently, the GAAC FLAG displays a variety of media, which rotates by theme in accordance with current gallery exhibits or holidays. Other times, the exhibits are themeless—simply whatever the contributing artists feel inclined to create and share. Those who share their creations with the GAAC FLAG range in age, background, and artistic ability. Largely, the works are anonymous contributions by locals or seasonal folks. In addition to the dainty masterpieces, the GAAC FLAG contains figurines which represent visitors, and furniture—such as a bench to sit on for the purpose of pondering the displayed work.
Essentially, Aucello serves as the informal curator of the FLAG. She surveys the GAAC FLAG throughout the week—tidying up the miniature gallery or adding more artwork when necessary. Aucello soon learned that a bountiful amount of artwork was being dropped off, especially during the busiest weeks of the summer. However, she leans on the year-round “Make A Little Art” groups to stock up in the leaner months.
Aucello’s energy and enthusiasm for the FLAG—and the arts, in general—are both abounding and contagious. She and close friend, Darci Ricker of Glen Arbor, host impromptu arts and crafts nights around the Glen Arbor area. Aucello is always prepared with a plentiful supply of materials: paint pens, papers, stones recovered from Sleeping Bear Bay, pinecones, feathers, paintbrushes, and more in hand. Populating these gatherings are other, equally creative, Glen Arborites: Lauren Maxwell, Shelli Martin, Laura Cavender, Sue Church, Kathy Warnes, and Brooke Eddy Hazael-Massieux, to name a few. (I’m known to participate, as well.) These informal events are very much spirited, unifying and sustaining for those who participate.
“I look forward to the craft nights every time they’re scheduled! Especially in the cold months—there’s something so cozy and communal about getting together and crafting. Total hygge vibes. As someone who is pretty new to full-time living in Glen Arbor, they’ve been a great way to meet new people and to get to know neighbors over drinks and laughs,” Maxwell, a transplant from neighboring Cedar, shared.
Martin, who likewise is relatively new to the Glen Arbor, concurred with Maxwell that these art gatherings supply a sense of solidarity and solace. “I enjoy these gatherings for companionship. It also pleases me that our collective creativity reaches beyond the group as we often help enhance exhibits at the Glen Arbor Arts Center. Recently, we painted Valentine’s decorations for the folks at Maple Valley Assisted Living.”
There is an altruistic component to GAAC FLAG: Maple Valley Retirement Home, Glen Lake Schools, and Norte’s Kids Summer Camp are some of the beneficiaries of these tiny works of art. The gifted art is a bright light for the retirees, students and campers, alike. Aucello has been instrumental in facilitating and nurturing these relationships between the GAAC and the community—not surprising as she serves as the Deputy Clerk for the Glen Arbor Township. Public service and the arts are her passions.
Aucello is an educator, having received her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in psychology. From there, she earned her Master of Arts and teaching credentials at the University of California, Berkeley. Aucello then taught first and second grade for 13 years at Epiphany School in Honolulu, Hawaii.
She and her husband, Kevin, decided in 2017 that they would move to Glen Arbor and make it their permanent home. For Aucello, it was an easy transition from life in Hawaii, having grown up in downstate Michigan and summering on the eastern shore of Glen Lake her entire life. They made their summer cottage on Little Glen Lake their year-round home, but retained its original name, “The Best of Both Worlds,” as they still maintain a home in Hawaii. (Kevin still travels back and forth from Hawaii each month as his business is based on the islands.)
The GAAC’s FLAG is the only registered one in Leelanau County. However, Aucello is convinced that another iteration is bound to surface elsewhere in the county at some point. It appears that FLAGs will continue to multiply in the years to come, so embrace it—make, take, and appreciate a little art!
Another FLAG popped up in Empire in 2022. Jill Hunt and her husband plan to open for a second season on May 1. Hunt retired after teaching art for more than 30 years, and wanted to share this concept with children, adults, and visiting tourists alike. They mounted the gallery on their fence and offered art activity kits for artists to use to create their mini masterpieces. Check out their FLAG on Instagram at nnneighborhood.freelart.
