Our Mission
Our mission is to make art more accessible to adults.
We hope to help adults reconnect with their inner child and get over the statement “I’m not creative.”
In addition to art supplies, we offer low-cost workshops led by local artists.
Hi, my name is Gabbie. By day, I’m a librarian.
You can learn more about me at gabbiebarnes.com
Our Values
We value the redistribution of resources
Who doesn’t have stockpile of unused art and craft supplies taking up space in your storage areas? Like a gardener who has grown more food than they can eat or store, we believe that we’re all better off when we share our bounties.
(What the heck is distributive justice?)
We value community controlled institutions
By day, I’m a librarian (read: government employee). I believe deeply in democracy and the idea that the people hold the power. Community controlled institutions ensure that the people most impacted are the ones making decisions.
(Learn more about the roots of “community control“)
We value our role in the care of the environment
The second-hand industry diverts waste from landfills and incinerators and reduces carbon emissions. Choosing to swap one new item for a used item can reduces it’s carbon emissions by 82%. While the second-hand industry itself relies on the overconsumption in the new market, it’s definitely a small contribution to our planet’s health. (Source: thredUP News)
Our Story
In 2015, I went to the Wadsworth Atheneum to listen to Mark Bradford in conversation with Ruben Ochoa. Both artists talked about how they found materials for their art. They used materials from hardware stores and in dumpsters. They didn’t choose these materials as “found objects” — it was what each of them could afford. There I was, listening to acclaimed artists call out the inaccessibility of making art. As someone who has always felt the need to create, but hasn’t always had the disposable income to do so, this resonated.
Five years later, I was reminded of this conversation. The world was experiencing a global pandemic 100 years in the making and we were all on lockdown. To make sense of the chaos, I made things. Some things better than others. but I kept my hands busy. I took up painting, knitting, brush-lettering, paper making, and macrame weaving. The start up costs of these new found hobbies was so expensive.
Then, I stumbled on a TikTok video posted by the Sacramento artist collective known as Broad Room. The founder, Claire was showing us their free art supply closet. A lightbulb went off for me — we could do this in Connecticut!
In March 2022 we secured our space inside of a local nonprofit and in October 2022, we opened our doors to the community. We moved into our new home at 56 Arbor Street in May 2023.
There is this idea that mutual aid can only be crisis work. That it can only exist to meet our basic survival needs. Art, and the desire to create, is a human instinct that is as essential.
This is just the beginning for FREE HART Closet. We’re really looking forward to meeting you all along this journey.
FREE HART Closet is a proud member of the Free Art Supply Mutual Aid Network founded by Broad Room an artist collective in Sacramento, CA.