Artist recently laid off uses time to bring dream to life with Philly Tiny Art Gallery

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A Fishtown artist who was recently laid off from a job decided to use the time to bring a dream to life. On East Cumberland Street in Fishtown, inside a planter full of flowers, something new has sprouted. This little shop-in-a-box is the brainchild of artist Sarah Rado.

“Local artists right now, because of the pandemic, haven’t been able to do fairs or festivals or anything to support themselves,” Rado said. “I just wanted to create an opportunity for artists to be able to sell their work.”

Here’s how it works. Potential customers can open a lock with a code from the website. They can choose what they want, then pay the artist via Venmo or Paypal. Most of the works sell for around $25.

“This is a print from Julie Rado,” Rado said.

Julie Rado, Sarah’s sister, helped design the gallery and is adding her own artwork.

“It’s a great time for it,” Julie said. “People are ready to rally around something, support something local to the community.”

Of course, a tiny gallery means tiny art. The size limit: 16 inches high, 16 inches wide, and 6 inches deep.

“The possibility are endless,” Sarah said. “It’s small, but you can do a lot with the space.”

Philly Tiny Art Gallery is already building a following on Instagram. Fans can track what’s inside. Artists can see when there is an opening, and everyone can connect with each other.

“People are interested and they’re wanting to visit and support it. That’s just awesome,” Julie said. “It’s the best we could have hoped for.”

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