Tiny Art Project

In 2023, gallupARTS produced the Tiny Art Project, a fun and funky public art program in downtown Gallup. Local artists were invited to propose miniature public art installations to repair blemishes in the built environment, spark whimsy, embellishdowntown Gallup’s robust public art program, and celebrate the transformational power of the arts for communities. In 2025, the Arts & Cultural District added a few more Tiny Art Projects to the mix. 

Tiny Art projects are diverse in terms of artists, styles, subjects and media and include:

1. A found glass mosaic to repair broken tiles on a building facade by Katie Benally.
2. A foot-tall steel sculpture of a young Diné girl playing hide-and-seek with her sheep installed around an abandoned lamp post base by Casey Tom.
3. A whimsical mushroom mosaic to fill in for a missing brick in bench seating by youth artist MB.
4. A miniature figurative sculpture to replace a lost fencepost finial by Rachel Brown.
5. A permanent neighborhood cat sneaking a nap in a nook made by an alleyway wall. 
6. A mouse-sized mural taking inspiration from a mouse-sized hole in a concrete column.
7. An elevated rain barrel. 

The 2023 iteration of the Tiny Art Project was made possible by funding from Gallup Mayor Louis Bonaguidi, Gallup City Councilor Fran Palochak, Creative New Mexico, gallupARTS and the Gallup Cultural Center.