Free Little Art Gallery Brings Creativity, Kindness, and Joy to Barnhart

Business Spotlight

For Tanya Moder, the Free Little Art Gallery in Barnhart is not just a box of craft supplies. It is a way to bring joy back into the world.

After retiring from more than 30 years with Jefferson County 9-1-1, Moder found herself facing serious health challenges, a difficult new reality, and a season of discouragement. But eventually, she said, she made a choice.

That choice became the heart of the Free Little Art Gallery, a neighborhood project where children and families can take or leave craft supplies, pick up weekly creative kits, visit the kindness rock garden, and find a simple invitation to make something beautiful.

The gallery is located in the Village of Jefferson, near Veterans Park in Barnhart. The themed craft changes every Sunday, giving children and families something new to look forward to each week.

Moder said the idea began with her love for children and her lifelong love of crafts. After hearing about Free Little Libraries, she wondered if the same idea could be used for art.

A Place to Make, Take, and Give Art

For the first two years, Moder said she made nearly everything herself. Children could come by and take home small crafts, supplies, and creative surprises. This year, she has shifted part of the project toward teaching children how to create for themselves.

Each week, she puts together a new themed craft kit. Some weeks include bracelets. Others include painted ceramic pieces, collage art, wood crafts, kindness rocks, canvases, ribbons, beads, lace, fabric scraps, charms, stickers, paint, brushes, and whatever else Moder can find that might spark a child’s imagination.

Her “Imagination Station” allows children to choose the colors, textures, and supplies that fit their own style.

Moder said that is part of the point. She does not want children to simply copy what an adult tells them to make. She wants them to explore, experiment, and create in their own way.

Creativity When Families Need It Most

Moder said creativity matters more than many people realize, especially at a time when family budgets are tight and art programs are often among the first things cut.

That reality is personal for her. Moder said she grew up in a family where money was tight, raised by a single mother with three girls, and she knows what it feels like when even simple creative supplies are out of reach.

“I would have died for something like this when I was a kid.”

Moder knows there are families in the county who are struggling. She knows some parents and grandparents may want to do crafts with the children in their lives, but supplies can be expensive and time can be hard to find.

The Free Little Art Gallery is her way of making it easier.

And when children arrive, she sees the impact immediately.

“I wish you could see the kids when they come in,” Moder said. “They get so excited, and they’re laughing, and they’re going through everything.”

Rooted in Jefferson County

Parents have noticed too. Moder said families often thank her for what she is doing for the community. Some visit every week. One family told her their children cannot wait for Sunday to see what the new kit will be.

For Moder, that moment stood out because it showed the gallery becoming more than a craft stop. It had become something a family could experience together.

That is one of the messages she hopes parents and grandparents hear clearly.

Life is busy. Schedules are full. Responsibilities are real. But Moder believes children need time with the adults who love them, and creativity can open the door to those moments.

After decades in emergency dispatch, where the work often involved trauma, violence, desperation, and pain, the Free Little Art Gallery has helped her see the community through a different lens.

“Now I see joy every day,” she said.

Even when no one is visiting at that exact moment, Moder said she can still look outside and see the garden, the pinwheels, the wind chimes, and the signs of life and kindness around her home.

That spirit is what drives the project.

Moder said she is not doing it for praise. She is doing it because she wants children to experience joy, wonder, creativity, and the simple happiness of making something with their own hands.

“I am not doing it to get praise,” she said. “I am doing it to bring the children joy.”

How the Community Can Help

Moder said the biggest way residents can help is by spreading the word so more families know the Free Little Art Gallery exists.

The community can also support the project by donating usable craft supplies, especially acrylic paint, children’s paint brushes, ribbons, lace, fabric scraps, yarn, beads, wood scraps, small canvases, plastic bottles with lids, and other items that could be turned into art projects.

She also tries to reuse items that might otherwise be thrown away. Fabric scraps, pieces of ribbon, leftover yarn, plastic bottles, wood scraps, and other materials can all become part of a future project.

Moder said the project is meant to be open to everyone. She does not want the gallery to become limited by too many rules or restrictions. She wants it to remain a place where any child, any family, and any neighbor can find something creative to do.

When asked to sum up the purpose of the Free Little Art Gallery, Moder answered simply: “Bring joy.”