A Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG) is coming to a shopping center on Richmond Highway this spring, kicking off what organizers hope will be a proliferation of the boxes along the corridor.
The FLAG will be installed by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) at 12:30 p.m. on April 8 in the Mount Vernon Plaza Parklette (7698 Richmond Highway) in Hybla Valley.
“The new installation is designed to expand SFDC’s placemaking strategy along the Richmond Highway Corridor by encouraging artistic creativity, community participation, and neighborhood identity through accessible public art,” a press release says.
Like their library counterparts, Free Little Art Galleries encourage community members to both take and leave an item — in this case, a miniature work of art — for other passersby to enjoy.
Northern Virginia is home to several galleries, including four different sites in Reston, but southern Fairfax County didn’t join the FLAG movement until local arts enthusiast Cathy Hosek installed one on Rampart Drive near Sandburg Middle School in Fort Hunt last October.
A member of the SFDC’s marketing committee, Hosek also chairs the Mount Vernon District Arts Advisory Council, which launched with its first official meeting in February and will help oversee the Richmond Highway FLAG initiative.
Currently under construction with local artist Lorena Garcia contributing to the design, the Mount Vernon Plaza gallery will be the first of 10 that the advisory council hopes to add throughout the Route 1 corridor, according to ArtsFairfax.
“This project is another step in building a stronger visual identity for Richmond Highway while giving residents a direct way to contribute creatively to the corridor,” SFDC Executive Director Evan Kaufman said. “The goal is to make public spaces more interactive, welcoming, and reflective of the community that lives here.”
In anticipation of Richmond Highway widening and the subsequent introduction of bus rapid transit (BRT) service, the SFDC has turned to public art as one tool to bolster the corridor’s revitalization, as recommended by a 2024 report on placemaking.
The nonprofit economic development organization previously rolled out a “Faces of 1” series that added sculptures at various sites, two of them at Mount Vernon Plaza, as well as a number of large-scale murals for commercial and community spaces.
In addition, Fairfax County is enlisting local artists to design decorations for its future Route 1 BRT stations, which are currently expected to begin operating early next decade — possibly around 2033.
The Free Little Art Gallery will be placed at the Mount Vernon Plaza Parklette, which opened next to Moe’s Southwest Grill in October 2022, with the support of the shopping center’s owner, Federal Realty Investment Trust.
“SFDC intends for future Flags to create a connected network of small creative spaces that encourage repeat visits, neighborhood interaction, and local artistic expression,” the nonprofit said in its news release.
SFDC says community members can contact the Mount Vernon District Arts Advisory Council at mvdaac@gmail.com to suggest additional FLAG sites.
The date of the Free Little Art Gallery’s installation, initially reported as May 8, has been corrected.
