The smell of fresh flowers, a hug from a loved one, or a rainbow after a storm, tiny moments of joy are sprinkled throughout every day. Inviting us to take the time to appreciate those moments is the collaborative exhibition, Small Blessings, at Tuggeranong Arts Centre until 27 January.

Born from frustration with her own art practice, artist and art educator Lynn Petersen knew that even though she was engaged with her pieces, she wanted to connect with the broader community. Wanting to share other voices and find meaning in the practice itself, Ms Peterson was inspired by a movement she cam across 10 years ago.

“An artist asked people to contribute stories of where acts of kindness happened in a certain area in Sydney and then he mapped them using symbols. Also, the whole idea of how do we give to other people in a way that’s meaningful?”

The exhibition space in Tuggeranong Arts Centre has been filled with love and happiness through the works of artists and community members. The idea is simple; people share the story of a small blessing they have encountered and someone else creates a small work in response.

“The only criteria is it needs to reflect an idea or an aspect of a small blessing. We’ve got glass works that have been made by students of Lake Tuggeranong College, animations that are online that a photographer friend of mine has made … We’ve got a lot of stitching on various textiles, textiles do feature quite heavily,” says Ms Petersen.

Rather than return the items to the creators, Ms Petersen thought of another way to further engage the community, by gifting the exhibits. She explains that any item which has been gifted for display will then be gifted to someone else; the only payment required is a smile.

“Even better if you take something from the gallery with someone else in mind that you would then pass it on to, that would be lovely,” the artist says. “It is a way of getting people to reflect on small blessings and keep that thinking going past the time and space of the exhibition.”

Over 200 items are up for grabs, including a school of fish, felted Barbie clothing with matching boots, puppets, and a nest full of small birds. The quilted tent-like structure is going to be broken down into single bed-sized quilts and donated to local care organisations to keep the blessings going.

“We can pass the stories on and hopefully bring some quiet smiles to people who might be facing a bit of a tough time,” says Ms Petersen.

A common theme throughout the blessings was the importance of a cup of tea; in response, the organisers created over 100 tea bag cosies that people could take in exchange for them sharing their own story.

Most of the stories of small moments and blessings have arisen out of Ms Petersen speaking with people and organisations. Coming from early childhood students all the way through to grandparents, she says each one has been meaningful and touching.

“One that really stuck with me is one girl said, ‘my small blessing is my voice because when things aren’t quite right, I can use my voice to change things’.

“Another one said, ‘When I’m feeling cranky or frustrated or upset, I go outside and my chickens rush up to me and give me hugs – that’s my small blessing.”

Submitting her own small blessing story to the project, Ms Petersen thought of the time she went to a Lightbulb Improv show with her son. The audience was asked to tell the person next to them what they appreciated about them, and knowing her son was a man of few words, what happened next was a pleasant surprise.

“He reeled off what he appreciated about me and I had no idea. Equally, I could then let him know what I valued about him as a person and as a member of our family That was actually a huge blessing, that stuck with me, that was about 10 years ago,” she smiles.

The organiser hopes that more than anything, the exhibition has given people a chance to reflect, take a deep breath and smile.

“It’s about finding joy in life and so often we wait for the big important events but there are so many tiny things that happen across a day, it’s just taking the time to notice them and value them.”

Small Blessings at Tuggeranong Arts Centre until 27 January; tuggeranongarts.com

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