Jeff Smith, The Smallest House in the World
Jeff Smith, The Smallest House in the World

The Center for Maine Contemporary Art is presenting The Smallest House in the World, an art installation by sculptor Jeff Smith in its courtyard at 21 Winter Street, Rockland, from September 14 to 17, 2017. Presented concurrently with the Camden International Film Festival, The Smallest House in the World includes a short documentary video about the project screened in its interior. Part sculpture, part experimental living project, at 25 square feet, this pad on wheels challenges even the most open-minded small-home dweller. And that’s kind of the point. 

“When I looked at the tiny house movement, I saw everyone trying to make the best tiny house in the world, but no one was trying to make the smallest one,” says builder, sculptor and filmmaker Jeff Smith. In wondering about this housing trend, he questioned, “How small is too small for a house?” In a movement called the tiny house movement, this seemed like a really basic question that needed an answer. “So,” Smith says, “I built the smallest house in the world to test the limits of what a house can be.”

Last year during CIFF, CMCA exhibited in its Winter Street courtyard, The Tent of Casually Observed Phenologies by artist James Leonard, in which the artist gave divinatory readings about climate change inside a special, hand-sewn tent. “With all the visitors in town for the film festival,” says CMCA Director Suzette McAvoy, “it’s a great opportunity for us to present really publicly accessible work that parallels current topics, such as sustainability, limited resources, and how we live in an increasingly congested world.”

CMCA is a contemporary arts institution presenting year-round exhibitions, engaging events, and educational programs for all ages. Location: 21 Winter Street, Rockland, Maine. Hours: June through October, Monday – Saturday, 10am to 5pm, Sunday, 12 to 5pm; November through May, Wednesday – Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sunday, 12 to 5 pm; closed Federal holidays. Admission $8; Seniors (65+) and students with ID $6; children under 18 free; CMCA members free. For more information, call 207.701.5005 or visit cmcanow.org.