Here are a few FLAGs you can find around metro Phoenix.
The Sharing Saguaro
1646 E. Pinchot Ave.The Sharing Saguaro does not technically fall into the FLAG category, but its entire conception was born from artistic intentions. Consisting of three structures and a bench standing outside the home of curator and mosaic artist Danica Tuxbury, it reflects the creativity and communal spirit that drives its creator.Tuxbury began her sharing journey by hosting a traditional Free Little Library outside her home. Inspired by a friend, she found a crate in her alley, painted it and placed it next to the library to share plants and seeds.
“ My central value in life is sharing,” Tuxbury says. “I really feel passionate about sharing, which is why I started The Little Library.”
Tuxbury noticed that her original library structure wasn’t easily accessible to young children. This sparked the idea to build the Saguaro structure, featuring three distinct windows to separate the types of reading material, one of which was specifically designed to be accessible to kids' heights. This idea evolved into the iconic mosaic treatment that has since earned The Sharing Saguaro the title of a “library of distinction” from the Free Little Library program. People from all over the globe have come to visit.
“We're in a low-income area. ... One grandmother stopped and she said, ‘You know, I watch my grandson for my daughter. He's never been to a real library. This is his library,’" Tuxbury recalls. “She doesn't have transportation to get to a library. So this is his library.”
Once the original library structure was free, Tuxbury transformed it into an Arts and Crafts Library, adding another layer to her community-driven creative project. She has plans to expand and one day add a FLAG as well.
Like other curators, Tuxbury has not imposed strict rules on the Sharing Saguaro. One memory that stands out from when her Free Little Library first launched involved her being upset after several instances of her books being cleared out. She complained to a regular visitor, only to find out that it was that very person who had been taking the books — to donate them to the local senior center. It was a lesson she was grateful to have learned.
"When you're transactional about sharing, you're not trusting that there's abundance in the world. You're really operating from a place of scarcity, and there is not a scarcity of resources. It's a distribution problem,” Tuxbury says.
Free Little Art Gallery Tempe
17th Place and Roosevelt Street across from Clark Park, TempeAfter reading an article about another local FLAG, Kayla and William Dobra opened their Free Little Art Gallery in February 2023. As a carpentry hobbyist, Kayla drafted and crafted the gallery from scratch. Its distinctive teal color, modern shape and big windows make it recognizable from a distance. It even has solar lighting, enhancing the gallery ambiance at night. Since the gallery's opening, the Dorbras have received positive feedback and many thanks from their neighbors. After a neighbor who rarely spoke with them mentioned adding pieces to the gallery, she later learned he had faced hardships and used the gallery to display his art as a way to cope.“ People will come by, I'll be out front, and they'll say, the gallery means so much to us,” Will beams.
Kayla, a painter herself, and William, a musician, place creativity at the core of their gallery, which resides in their front yard.
“ I like the idea of having like a roadside art gallery. Everybody can participate. I'm not curating or judging,” Kayla explains. “If somebody creates something and they think it's worthy of being in the gallery, then it goes in the gallery.”
Currently, the gallery is mainly showing finished pieces, but they’ve had art supply donations in the past gifted to encourage others to create. They have even received artwork through the mail from residents of California and Washington. Anything goes, as long as pieces are heat-resistant to withstand the Arizona temperatures. They also do not accept book donations, and kindly defer those to their neighborhood Free Little Library. Visitors can take art, but there’s no pressure to leave art.
“The people who donate pieces of artwork, they're the heroes. Without people putting art in the gallery, it's just a wooden box,” Kayla notes. “What makes it an art gallery is people sharing their stuff.”
Free Little Art Gallery Chandler
725 N. Jay St., ChandlerCurator Vesna Taneva launched her gallery two years ago, reflecting on how much fun it would be to have a place where people could exchange art. After doing some research, she discovered FLAG, a movement that now boasts 730 mapped galleries. Creating the art gallery itself was a family affair — Taneva’s brother built it from scratch, giving her the artistic freedom to customize it.
As a self-taught artist skilled in multiple mediums, Taneva’s diverse interests are mirrored in what the gallery offers — a mixture of art supplies, finished art pieces and a community journal where people can write, draw or express themselves.
One participant who works at the neighborhood library regularly adds journal entries from the perspective of her dog, Rags. Others take the journal home, returning it with detailed ink and watercolor works of art. Kids stop by regularly to see what’s going on in the gallery. Works of art are constantly added, and others find new homes. Chalk is also readily available for anyone inspired to decorate the surrounding sidewalk.
“You know, people try to find common ground, whether that’s religion, political party, opinion or whatever,” Taneva notes. “With art, anything goes. Making things and saying, ‘OK, I made this. What did you make?’ It’s just a way to share our common humanity.”
Taneva does not impose rules or restrictions on the FLAG. She simply welcomes the community to grab whatever inspires them. To her, creation is a pivotal part of the human experience.
“We as humans are creative anyway,” Taneva says. “So to just say, ‘I’m not creative,’ it’s like saying, ‘I’m not human,’ you know?"
