The Amherst Public Library, 221 Spring St., has announced that the registration for the second annual Tiny Art Show will start at noon Jan. 12.
Becky Denes, public relations manager for the library, said last year’s art show was so well-received, that it was brought back this year, free of charge and for anyone.
“It was a great turnout last year,” Denes said. “We ended up with 83 pieces of art, and the artists ranged in age from a 1-year-old all the way up to an adult in her 80s.”
Upon registering, artists will be put on a list to pick up a Tiny Art Show kit, which includes a 4-inch-by-4-inch canvas, a set of six acrylic paints, a palette and paintbrush, according to Denes.
Any medium can be used aside from the acrylic paint provided, which will allow artists to be more creative when designing their canvas, she said.
“We do have a lot of crafty and artistic people in our area,” Denes said.
Designs last year included landscapes, abstract paintings and characters, she said.
Even babies participated with their own finger painting art, Denes said.
“Across the board, it was a lot of variety and diversity,” she said. “Really, just a huge spectrum of different things.”
Inspiration for the event came from an idea Denes said she saw in a Facebook group, and is something other area libraries have participated in.
“As libraries, we all kind of work together to see what fun ideas we can all share,” Denes said. “People really seemed to have fun with it, and I wanted to try it here, and it went really well.”
The library has its share of age limited programs, for children and adults, and the staff wants the art show to be a fun event for patrons inside during the winter, she said.
“This time of year, we’re winding down from the holidays, we’re staring down a couple months of gray skies, and it’s just a fun thing to do,” Denes said. “The library is for everybody.”
Kits will be distributed beginning Jan. 19, and completed artwork is due no later than Jan. 29, according to the library.
Although there is no exact count yet, Denes said at least 100 kits will be available and possibly more, and, like other library programs, there is no charge to participate.
“We display them throughout the library,” she said. “They’ll be available for the whole month of February to view on the first floor and second floor.”
For more information on registration, visit amherstpubliclibrary.org.
