CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 11 COVER STORY I t's Saturday in Haymount, and Meredith Talian hears car doors slam outside her home on Woodcrest Road. She peeks out her window and sees that vehicles have again lined the street outside her home. Like the weekend before, children are rushing out of cars and making their way to e Little Art Box, a wooden shed with two pull doors filled with art supplies and handcraed creations. e Little Art Box is a freestanding storage unit that allows artists to share their gis and for others to take them free of charge. It's not an exchange; it's a space for sharing. e concept is similar to the "little free libraries" that provide for the exchange of books. "You don't have to leave something in order to take something," Talian says. e Little Art Box is not a business, either. It's a way to connect with the community. "It's been popular with children. We have walkers and all sorts of people from all over coming to visit," Talian says. "It's more popular than I thought it would be. I was worried it would sit there and I'd have to keep it alive. But it really generates its own energy." Create and communicate Talian, who is originally from Roanoke, Virginia, earned a bachelor's degree in painting and drawing. She is a mother and military spouse who enjoys painting portraits in watercolor and acrylic. As someone used to a life of relocation, Talian finds hobbies that can travel with her, like her custom-made jewelry business. In 2020, Talian's mother sent her a link from an online article Creative connections The Little Art Box in Haymount is a way for young artists to share inspiration and find common ground in their pursuit of self-expression. BY JASON CANADY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN Opposite, Meredith Talian with Norah Long, 9, Henr y Long, 8, Samantha Talian, 6, and Harrison Long, 11, display their creations at The Little Art Box on Woodcrest Road. Above, Samantha Talian places her dinosaur sculpture on a shelf inside the shed.

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