Surely by now you’re acquainted with the concept of “little free libraries” — those tiny homes on pegs, giving almost a bird-feeder vibe, filled with books you can give or take on the honor system. We’ve got a few here in Healdsburg, of course — along with a “little free food pantry” set up last year outside the Healdsburg Community Church on University. And now, in a yard on the corner of Plaza and East streets, we’ve been blessed with a “little free art gallery” spreading art to the masses.
It’s the latest offering from the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, and it’s funded in part by those public-art grants that city officials have been handing out for the past couple of years. Oh, and its official name is “Lil’ MoHA” — short for “The Little Modern Museum.” A sign above the mini museum reads: “Open the door carefully to leave art, take art, or both!” Excuse me while I swoon a little…
According to the Shop Local Healdsburg page on Instagram, the yard where this thing lives at Plaza and East belongs to local Corey Rawdon and Noah Jeppson, who “built out this beautifully crafted Lil’ MoHA at the corner of their historic home.” (In fact, as we just mentioned in last week’s print issue of the Healdsburg Tribune, Corey and Noah’s home at 316 East St. — a Gothic Revival-style building from 1884 called the Heartwood House — just won a historic preservation award from the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society.)
But back to the main attraction: the new mini art museum out front! Shop Local Healdsburg reports: “Lil’ MoHA is worth a lil’ visit. The craftsmanship is delightfully captivating — balancing modern and classic structural details, with a nod to wine country (the flooring features wine corks). Even the interior, lights up at night 💡 🌟 Since launching this January, local artists have already contributed their paintings and print work.” Corey Rawdon elaborates on the vision in an interview with Shop Local: “I like to think in terms of ‘everyday art’ that you encounter in your daily life. From paintings to poems to pottery and beyond, art surrounds you in your daily life. However, some people think of art as “special art” — art that exists in museums that is somehow distinct and different from everyday art. I created the Lil’ MoHA to blur this line and create a gallery space for anyone to use to create and share or take and enjoy art in an everyday capacity.”
So run don’t walk to the corner of Plaza and East, people…
