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When Nicole Robertson was growing up in New England in the US, her grandmother would knit sweaters for her large family, and Robertson\u2019s father, a postman, made birdhouses.<\/p>\n
Neither of them, Robertson says, would have labelled themselves creative types, nor did they publicly exhibit their work. But what if there had been a forum for them to do so?<\/p>\n
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Artist Nicole Robertson next to the Reservoir Little Art Gallery that she founded, with one of her linocuts, front right.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Penny Stephens<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe all have somebody in our life who tinkers at something, whether or not they consider it gallery-worthy,\u201d said Robertson, who is now a Reservoir-based printmaker and illustrator.<\/p>\n To celebrate our often under-recognised backyard artists, Robertson created the Reservoir Little Art Gallery, a cabinet for art that was inspired by the now-ubiquitous Little Libraries for books.<\/p>\n In this case, anyone can donate a small (up to 30 centimetres high) artwork, or they can take one for free. The fridge-sized outdoor gallery – part of the City of Darebin\u2019s FUSE arts festival – will stand until September 17 in a parklet at the corner of Cheddar Road and Broadway in the centre of Reservoir, in Melbourne\u2019s north.<\/p>\n By noon on its first day, Sunday, a wooden fish carved by 86-year-old Les Demertzidis had been snapped up by a passer-by.<\/p>\n Les Demertzidis, of Reservoir, with some of his wooden carvings.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Penny Stephens<\/cite><\/p>\n Some of the other carvings by Demertzidis, a retired labourer and Greek immigrant, including walking sticks, birds and a Pontian lyra \u2014 a traditional instrument \u2014 will also feature in the gallery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would have been one of his first hobbies when he retired,\u201d said his proud daughter Sophie Demertzidis, of the carvings.<\/p>\n \u201cI think nearly all of our relatives and friends would have at least one fish in their house. He would have made at least 100.\u201d<\/p>\n Another \u201cRezza\u201d resident, Sarah Hinds, loved seeing her floral embroidery being exhibited. She sees it as \u201can opportunity to put my work out there and see how it goes\u201d.<\/p>\n Sarah Hinds with a floral embroidery that hung in the Reservoir Little Art Gallery on Sunday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Penny Stephens<\/cite><\/p>\n Hinds, a keen watercolour painter who has a textile design degree, took up embroidery earlier this year as a mindfulness exercise.<\/p>\n Of the gallery, Hinds said: \u201cI think in terms of a public art piece it\u2019s quite innovative. I\u2019m grateful that people will see my work, and to put something out there.\u201d<\/p>\n The Life Force Bag, an upcycled piece made by Ava Lauren from Not Sew New.<\/span><\/p>\n Artists can leave their contact details with the pieces and it could bring the local arts community together, Hinds says.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m at home doing my own work but to meet other artists and collaborate and network and to be aware of other artists doing work here, I think that\u2019s very good,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Robertson, the curator, will display in the gallery her own satirical linocuts in which she sets ancient myths in Reservoir.<\/p>\n One piece shows a ship crew member from Homer\u2019s The Odyssey<\/em> eating kebabs from a street van.<\/p>\n Art galleries are thin on the ground in Reservoir, Robertson says, and those elsewhere in Melbourne are not always financially accessible or welcoming to artists.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t find that arts institutions are usually reflective of everyday creativity like that and can sometimes feel intimidating if you don\u2019t come from a particular background,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m interested in seeing what an art gallery would look like if everyone was allowed to participate.<\/p>\n \u201cI really hope this project can be a celebration of the funny little things that people make in their spare time and maybe even make the arts feel more approachable for folks who might have felt left out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope this provides some sort of infrastructure, at least for two weeks, for people to get their artwork out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Pieces will be showcased on the gallery\u2019s Instagram site, and in a public launch of five local murals at the Little Art Gallery on September 9 at 10am.<\/p>\n Robertson hopes that the wooden cabinet won\u2019t be vandalised although \u201ca bit of graffiti may enhance it\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. <\/i><\/b>Sign up here<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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