ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Lucy Sparrow's Felt Supermarket Opens at the Momentary

exhibition · 2026-07-07

Lucy Sparrow's first U.S. museum exhibition, 'The Beginning of Convenience,' is an all-felt recreation of a 1980s supermarket at the Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas. The installation features over 20,000 hand-crafted soft sculptures, including cans, produce, a pharmacy, and a video rental section. Sparrow, born in 1986 in Bath, UK, dropped out of university and worked various jobs before creating her first felt environment, 'The Cornershop,' in 2014 via a Kickstarter campaign. Her work celebrates the mundane and draws on Walmart's archives. The exhibition includes a recreation of her Suffolk studio, the Felt Cave, and a wall of stuffed bananas inspired by a childhood toy. It runs through July 11, 2027.

Key facts

  • Lucy Sparrow's first U.S. museum exhibition is at the Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas.
  • The exhibition is titled 'The Beginning of Convenience' and recreates a 1980s supermarket.
  • The installation contains over 20,000 hand-crafted felt sculptures.
  • Sparrow was born in 1986 in Bath, United Kingdom.
  • She dropped out of university and worked at a convenience store, supermarket, and as an exotic dancer.
  • Her first felt environment, 'The Cornershop,' was funded by a Kickstarter campaign raising £10,000 in 2014.
  • The exhibition includes a recreation of her Suffolk studio, the Felt Cave.
  • The show runs through July 11, 2027.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Momentary
  • Walmart
  • Hoxton Gallery
  • Kickstarter
  • The Momentary
  • Sew Your Soul
  • Walton's
  • Colossal
  • Tatty Devine
  • designboom
  • Glasstire

Locations

  • Bentonville
  • Arkansas
  • United States
  • Bath
  • United Kingdom
  • London
  • Oxford
  • Suffolk
  • Northwest Arkansas
  • New York
  • Los Angeles
  • Miami
  • England

Sources