About

The Society of Smallness is a collective of enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds exploring the potential for small actions to generate creative opportunities for everyone.  We believe less is less and thinking small is a needed antidote in an age of supersizing and overachieving. Through playful interactions, we invite a closer look and a shift in perspective. Selected happenings include Roving Séance, Documents Bureau, and Mini-Exhibitiothons 1 and 2.

Origin Story
The Society of Smallness was established on September 5, 2012 when a chance (or was it?) bird dropping landed in a tiny space between someone’s hand and her lunch missing both by a margin of less than 1/8th inch. Also on this date, following the Chicago Public Library’s temporary overdue fee amnesty, a woman returned a rare copy of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that her mother borrowed 78 years prior. These tiny happenstances were taken as a sign that the realm of the small has profound implications, even as it is barely noticed. A very partial list of the SOS’ purview includes: vegetable trimmings, bread ties, handmade signs, crickets, homing pigeons, and most things that fit in the space no bigger than a bread box.