The art might have been small, but the talent was massive at the 21st Annual Art in Sixes exhibition opening party held on Saturday, November 15 at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA). Over 700 small works of art were on display this year, with 597 of those from Sullivan County artists and 127 by student artists. 

DVAA invited artists to create a piece of art in a range of mediums into physical dimensions no greater than six inches. “Art in Sixes has been a cornerstone of the community for the last 21 years, and it is so exciting to see the show grow so tremendously the past two years,” said Gallery Manager, Tanner Simon. “Not only is it a great opportunity to pick up an affordable gift for the holiday, it brings together artists, art appreciators, and our neighbors alike.” Throughout the 729 pieces, Simon noticed a shared focus on this region and its bounty of wildlife, hills, lakes, and trees.

According to attendee Steven Beeson of Cochecton Center and New York City, the exhibition “is a great place to come see a large talent pool from the area.” While a few pieces were of interest to Beeson, they all had little red dots to indicate they were already sold. 

Since 2022, DVAA has distributed canvases to youths to encourage creativity and community participation. They hosted two in-person art making sessions this year with local artist/educator Adrienne Hloderwski for kids to come and make their own 6’’ x 6” pieces. 

First-time exhibitor and second grader Nova Petracca of Narrowsburg—who goes by the artist name of Violet Nova—had a pink and white acrylic painting called Candy on display at the show. She was joined by her brother Wyatt, who had two pieces of acrylic paint on canvas titled Colorful Blind and The Swirl of Color in the show, and their little sister Zeta, with a piece on display called Rainbowy. When asked if he wanted to be an artist one day, Wyatt replied, “that’s the plan.” 

Art in Sixes will be on display until December 21 at DVAA on Thursdays-Sundays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.