Story By Natalie Salvatore
Photos Contributed By Samantha Buell
If you’re an artist, owner of The Little Art Collective
Samantha Buell encourages you to reach out and join this
new gallery’s growing network. Upon moving to Auburn in
the summer of 2021, artist Buell had started looking around
for a place to display her own art.
“There weren’t a lot of great options as far as galleries or
boutiques,” Buell said. “I was disappointed and spent months
trying to decide what was next for me.”
However, things turned around when she found a space as
part of the micro, women-owned retail shops at the Southerly
Warehouse in Opelika a year later. Her interest in wanting a
space for her work transformed into a new idea of starting an art
gallery after learning of the company’s motto, which centered
around community building and encouraging creativity in startup
companies.
“I didn’t have the idea for the Collective until I saw the space,
and it all came together so quickly,” she said. “‘Be the gallery
you wish to see’ kind of moment.”
After studying environmental conservation in school and
working in the restaurant industry for much of her life, Buell
took a chance on starting a new hobby a few years prior to the
Collective when she bought painting supplies after a photograph
inspired her.
“I immediately fell in love,” she said. “I’ve always been
creative and kept a sketch book most of my life. Sketching just
wasn’t my language, but painting clicked right away.”
Buell has had two art exhibits of her own, using that personal
experience to her advantage as a business owner.
“I’ve sold a modest amount of artwork and completed custom
works for friends and friends of friends,” she said.
With her business, Buell said she strives to bridge the gap
between artists and the surrounding community.
With her art gallery, she provides a welcoming place for
artists to collaborate and feel celebrated for their contributions to
creativity in art.
Each month, the gallery typically displays between 12 to 18
artists, showcasing different art mediums such as ceramics,
jewelry, fine art, photography, folk art, glassware, prints and
stickers. With each month’s new works and new artists also
comes midweek wine nights and a chance for the artwork to be
sold.
Buell said she had no idea that so many artists were in the
surrounding Auburn-Opelika community. This was another
reason she said she knew her business was the next best step in
terms of what Opelika could gain. With posting on social media
platforms to find and connect these artists to one another, she realized the extent of the local interest in displaying artwork right in her backyard.
“I am thrilled to provide a space for local artists to connect
with the community, and I hope it continues to grow,” Buell said.
“Art is for everyone — every medium, every price and every
age.”
Not only do adults have the opportunity to showcase their
work, but children do too. She explained how students from
kindergarten to 12th grade competed in the Junior Federal Duck
Stamp Competition in November as budding artists.
“We love encouraging children in the arts,” Buell said. “There
is nothing sweeter than a local second grader or aspiring artist
coming in with their parents to see their artwork in a gallery with
other artists.”
Buell said she hopes that future artists will continue to
collaborate, perhaps even in a larger space someday. She is
proud that her gallery represents the region’s artists and the
growing local talent.
“We are off the beaten path of downtown Opelika, but we are a
must see,” she said. “Art impacts how we perceive and interpret
culture and contributes to the identity of our region.”
You can find The Little Art Collective at 309 S. 10th St., Suite
C. Hours of operation run from 3 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the weekends. An event from 5 to 8 p.m.
on the second Friday of each month features new showcases
to check out as well. For more information, call 334-787-9181
or visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/
thelittleartcollective.