After a 15-year hibernation, the International Small Works Show returns to Fairfield, renewed in purpose and rich in global perspective. This year’s collection, curated once again by Anastasia “Stacey” Kitakis, emphasizes the cultural richness that emerges when creativity bridges continents. Located in a pop-up gallery inside the Central Park Furnishings space on the west side of the square, the show runs through February 8, with open hours Tuesday through Saturday, 12-5 p.m., and First Fridays Art Walk nights.
Bringing together 125 artists from across the U.S. and around the world, the exhibition of over 300 works celebrates humanity’s unyielding passion for art as a unifying force. “Art transcends geography, language, and politics,” says Kitakis. “It endures even when borders close and systems falter. It remains our shared heartbeat—a catalyst for both personal and global transformation.”
Each artwork carries its own story, and some include arduous journeys. One delicate ceramic piece, for instance, traveled from a Greek artist’s studio via taxi to Athens, where it was handed over to a Greek friend of Stacey’s, then carried by motorbike to a flight attendant—another friend through Stacey’s years of refugee-related humanitarian work in Greece. “As a senior U.S. airlines flight attendant, she took it upon herself to change her itinerary for this art mission,” Kitakis says, “and carried it across the Atlantic in her personal uniform closet. We met up in Des Moines between her flights so I could bring it safely home to Fairfield.”
Another artist living in Russia has faced the shifting realities of global trade. “Because of current import restrictions,” Kitakis says, “we’ve rerouted his whimsical oil paintings through Athens before they make their way to Iowa. Fingers crossed the package arrives before the exhibit opening.”
Reviving this show after a long hiatus has been especially moving for Kitakis. “Many of the artists from earlier exhibitions have since retired, changed names, or passed on. Others continue to create, and many new talents have emerged—often connected through today’s digital networks that didn’t exist when this show first began.”
Recent travels to Greece and Turkey rekindled her joy in discovering artists where they live and work—in village studios, beachside camps, and vibrant urban spaces. These discoveries range from a Norwegian painter who spends her summers in Crete to an Austrian artist who paints beside the sea every summer.
The pop-up gallery housed in the Central Park Furnishings space on Main Street provides an elegant setting for paintings, sculpture, textiles, glass, and and more, featuring acclaimed artists alongside under-the-radar talents, all dedicated to honoring global traditions of handmade art and craft.
For exhibition updates, visit MediterraVibe. com/smallworksshow or Mediterra.vibe on Instagram.