Fold Your Own Tiny Art Gallery

This is a fold your own tiny art gallery that can be printed out on A4 paper or thin card.

Initially designed to fit on library shelves next to relevant books, this gallery can be used in other settings. There is place in the world for many guerrilla galleries. Your mission is to find those places.

This printable is made possible by an artists residency at UWE Bristol Bower Ashton Library. The Tiny Cat Gallery is a project by Lisa Cole. It has had a few different spaces but is currently a cardboard box roughly decorated to look like a Georgian Art Gallery. It is staffed and visited by small plastic cats.

The Tiny Cat Gallery resides online at Instagram @tiny.cat.gallery Please use the hashtag #thinksmall and tag @uwelibrary and @tiny.cat.gallery when posting pictures of your gallery. I'll share any I see.

• A4 paper or thin card
• Access to a printer
• Scissors or safety ruler and scalpel
• Scraps of paper to decorate walls and floor
• Glue
• Tissue paper if you want diffused lighting
• Tiny Artwork

Print out the PDF onto paper that is at least 80gsm in weight. It doesn't need to be very thick card because you will be adding thickness to the structure with decorations.

Cut along the dashed lines and turn the paper over

You can cut with scissors or a scalpel but if you do use a knife make sure you use a ruler with a finger guard!

Fold along the dotted lines so that you are folding into the blank side of the paper

Make those creases nice and sharp

Fold the gallery into shape

Slot the sides together matching up the cats - you might need to cut the slots a tiny bit deeper if they don't fit

One side has space for your name so you can sign your gallery. Adding your Instagram or website will help people find you if you want to be found.

Lining the inside of the gallery with paper or thin card is a good way to add colour and texture. These dimensions may need to be adjusted if your card is thick.

• Long side: 170mm x 63.5mm
• Short side: 85mm x 63,5mm
• Back (or base if you are making a top down gallery) 170mm x 85mm

Think about the atmosphere you want your gallery to have. Wooden floors can be traditional, concrete can be modern. Do you want your walls to be plain white or have a darker colour to them?

You can light your gallery by punching holes above the hung artwork in the ceiling. For a larger and more diffused lighting effect cut out a rectangle of ceiling and replace it with tissue paper.

Your gallery is ready for artwork. Add sculpture, drawings, photographs or even a multi media installation (a phone fits well at the back of the gallery)

If you are leaving your gallery in a public space don't leave any valuables in it!