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Vintage shop At My House in Queen Village was packed Friday night for a big party to open a show featuring teeny-tiny works of art. Appropriately titled, the “Mini Mini Art Show” will run until Aug. 2. Most pieces are smaller than 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches.
Community members hopped into a viewing line that wrapped around the store, oohing and aahing in delight at miniature paintings, sculptures and textiles. Others browsed the regular stock of vintage items for sale, including records and thrifted clothing. Some partook of miniature cocktails for sale.
Kelly Braun, owner and curator of At My House, organized the event. Braun said the miniature aspect of the art really speaks to people while being silly and fun.
“There’s something just so precious about something that is a normal, everyday thing that is shrunken down,” Braun said. “It’s a whimsical thing. I feel like there’s so much less whimsical things for us to enjoy lately, and miniature things just are automatically packed full of whimsy.”
The joy of going small
This isn’t At My House’s first exhibition. The store hosted a mini art show last year, too, celebrating the addition of a vending machine selling $0.50 mini prints depicting Philly landmarks and landscapes. The prints are by Braun’s friend and neighbor Fabiola Lara, a Philadelphia-based illustrator who has 13 mini print vending machines around the city.
“Fabiola’s prints at my shop are the smallest ones that she has,” Braun said. “We decided to do the mini art show … which was 3 inches by 3 inches, and it was a huge hit. We were blown away.”
After friend and artist Mitch Weisen created a one-inch-square piece last year, Braun realized they could go even smaller.
“We were like, oh my god, three inches is huge,” she said. “It’s way too big. So this year we wanted to cut it in half.”
Philly creatives rose to Braun’s challenge. The 30 pieces chosen for the show were crafted by artists Braun invited and others who answered an open call.
“We were worried it might be too small, people maybe would have trouble with it, but they did not have trouble at all,” Brain said. “Everyone said they loved the challenge.”
A tiny show builds community
Some attendees showed up specifically for Lara’s art. Zarria Stephens came to the show from West Philly because she collects Lara’s mini prints from the vending machines and follows her on Instagram.
“In each of them, it captures some essence of Philly in some sense, like a reimagination of a certain Philly monument or thing, which is cute. And the fact it’s so small, I think it just adds a little wow factor,” Stephens said.
Lara has two pieces in the show, miniature reproductions of “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer and “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli. Mini artwork, Lara said, draws people’s attention because it’s charming and novel, and it invites creativity.
“If you think about fine art traditionally, it’s big canvases, and you have to be rich to have space for big canvases. It’s a more accessible form. I think you can be more creative because of that,” Lara said.
The show includes a diverse collection. Some works are abstract, and others, like Branche Coverdale’s “En Route,” are Philly-focused. “En Route” depicts a SEPTA bus, complete with a Top Dog Law advertisement, made of tiny wood blocks.
“It’s literally like every form of art,” Braun said. “It’s kind of nuts how creative people got with it.”
Nick Rozas, who came from Center City to support his friend Amy Schwartz, whose artwork is included in the show, said he loved the thrift shop location because it allowed him to explore a small business he’d never been to before.
“It’s mutually beneficial. It helps not only the business but some of these, maybe, potentially lesser known artists in the city,” Rozas said.
Braun said she loves how the show unites the community, creating a fun space for people to enjoy artwork.
“I love that something so silly and fun can bring so many people together,” Braun said. “It’s so wholesome and heartwarming.”
