Harrell Fletcher's Art and Community

            Harrell Fletcher is an artist that creates work for the community, as well as through the community. The purpose behind his art is to bring people together to talk about art. He wants to make art accessible that is otherwise not accessible. In the Garage Sale Series, Harrell went to many different garage sales and found different pieces to put in his gallery. Along with each piece, he put story tags explaining where it was from, who’s it was, etc. He loved the meaning and sentimental value that each item carried. Harrell said that he likes to get the community involved because it makes the art interesting and exciting for them. Being involved in the process of making this art really brings people together.
            While traveling around to numerous garage sales, Harrell noticed that there were many similar items at each garage sale. In his gallery he placed similar items together- hats, bowls, etc. He also placed items together according to which garage sale they came from. Each section in his gallery was like a mini story depicted of some person’s life and their personal possessions. Harrell was interested in learning about a person’s life, putting it on display, and making it into art. This goes back to the idea of making art accessible. Harrell takes what would normally be considered just a regular household item, and turns it into art. He takes it from the community and then puts it on display for the community. After the show was over, Harrell used his gallery as a garage sale, selling back all of the items to the community. This captured the idea that what is one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. I think Harrell wanted to show the community what art could be, and get them involved with the creation of it. He brings an awareness of art to the community, while capturing their appreciation for his art.