32nd Annual Miniature Art Show Opens At MonDak Heritage Center

The 32nd Annual Miniature Art Show will be on display through Saturday, Jan. 14 at the MonDak Heritage Center. One of the best and most anticipated art shows of the year, the Miniature Art Show highlights artists from around the world who work in the miniature format! The artists are restricted to creating works no larger than 5" x 7" and many produce work far smaller, sometimes as small as a postage stamp, with amazing detail.

This year's show features over 30 entries from artists from across the United States! Entries include acrylic, pencil, oil, watercolor, sculpture, and mixed media pieces. The miniature arts pieces are judged by a local artist who understands composition, originality, and artistry.  Using these three criteria, prizes are awarded to the top three entries. The winners will be announced by the second week of the show.

Miniature art is fine art with a century's old history. The miniature art form traces its roots back to book paintings and illuminated manuscripts in the 3rd century. Techniques such as stippling, hatching and pointillism are sometimes only discovered under magnification. Miniature art today expands beyond portraits and embraces a wide variety of subject matter, media and techniques.

Miniature art is extremely detailed work with exquisite color and strength of composition rivaling that of larger paintings. A compositional guide requires each piece be no more than 1/6th scale of the actual subject. A fine miniature piece can be magnified many times and still meet fine art standards. This demonstrates the great skill and discipline artists must have to work miniature. Miniature art, with its minimal space requirements and wider affordability, places original fine art within reach of art lovers and collectors. Nearly all of the artwork is for sale and any piece would make a great gift.

The MonDak Heritage Center is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 406-433-3500 or e-mail [email protected].