Local artist Keith Bowman is bringing joy through art to his neighborhood with a miniature art gallery. Bowman’s Perkasie neighbors can now stop on the sidewalk to wonder at the mini art hung on his micro gallery’s walls.
“The world today can be loud, fast, and filled with anxiety, but a small amount of art right where you don’t expect it can change the pace of a whole day,” Bowman says in his Kickstarter campaign.
Bowman, a graphic designer and creative director, is raising money to fund the construction of his gallery which will be placed on the sidewalk outside his home for neighbors and visitors to peruse the art. Each exhibition will feature nine works hung on the walls like a traditional sized gallery for visitors to admire and purchase.
Each month the gallery will feature a new exhibit of either Bowman’s work or another artist’s. The first exhibit called “Birds of a Concrete Jungle” will be Bowman’s hand-illustrated bird series with bold street art backdrops. The work explores how life adapts in urban spaces. The series is inspired by his fascination with birds growing up and as a tribute to his grandmother.
“My grandmother had a big bay window at her house, and she had, like, binoculars and little Reader’s Digest book of, like, all the birds,” Bowman said.
As a longtime resident of Bucks County, Bowman noticed a lack of contemporary and fine art galleries in the area. Bowman, a screen printer and illustrator, put together solo exhibitions in Philly during the early 2000s. The process of putting together a show stuck with Bowman, he said, and he set out to have his own gallery.
Bowman worked on a business plan over the years for his gallery which featured a studio to teach workshops and classes. After he was laid off a year and half ago, Bowman set his plan in motion until a business deal with an investor fell through.
“It was so close to getting to my dream, to where I wanted to be,” said Bowman. “I really thought it was going to take off.”
Bowman returned to the idea of an art gallery, but this time miniature. Bowman’s idea was inspired by Gallery 1619 in Chicago, a miniature art gallery created by John Airo.
While Gallery 1619 is designed to resemble little free libraries and features artists’ already miniature work, Manual Gallery 303 will look like a modern art gallery with featured art scaled down to hang on the walls.
The art featured in Manual Gallery 303 will be mini versions of original life-sized pieces visitors can purchase. Visitors can scan a QR code to view the life-sized paintings digitally and to make a purchase.
“I think a lot of people would like to have a nice piece of artwork in their living room or in their house, but I think galleries are kind of scary for people,” Bowman said.
Bowman said the gallery is intent on engaging people in art and bringing exposure to local artists. Over the first year, Bowman said he wants to build an engagement campaign. Fans of the gallery can sign up for its free newsletter, join the Patreon, or subscribe to the YouTube channel for more gallery and exhibit content.
“And hopefully people will become a fan of the gallery and look and, you know, follow the different exhibitions, and hopefully find something they they like, that is affordable,” Bowman said.
Bowman said he still has his eye on opening up a life-sized gallery one day or even expanding mini galleries into other Bucks County neighborhoods. For now, Bowman is focused on building his gallery and curating exhibitions in time for the fall season before winter sets in.
“The world today can be loud, fast, and filled with anxiety, but a small amount of art right where you don’t expect it can change the pace of a whole day.”
So far, Bowman’s Kickstarter campaign has garnered over $2,400 of its $3,000 goal in donations. The donations will fund the fabrication of the gallery walls by an experienced model company in Colorado, Archetype3D. Once completed, Bowman will build the post and hang the artwork.
Although the gallery will be fabricated with a durable material, Bowman will take the gallery in at night and during bad weather to protect it. The gallery also needs to be mobile, so Bowman can showcase it at art fairs or use it as a “pop-up shop.”
For the most part, the gallery will be displayed in Bowman’s yard close to Perkasie’s town center. The yard will be a prime location for foot traffic with neighbors walking by or people visiting for events like a car show, he said.
“It just seems like a good idea to me that at the very core aspect of it is that it provides something for the community, the local community, to discover art,” Bowman said.
Bowman’s Kickstarter campaign details his plans for the gallery from backstory to first look at his first exhibit. Supporters can pledge on the campaign site to fund Bowman’s gallery and access reward tiers for more gallery perks in return.
