Miniature Museums Open at Gallery Q in Stevens Point, Wisconsin
By Erin Prais-Hintz, Guest Blogger
First there were little libraries. Then there were little pantries. And while miniature portraits have been popular since the 16th century, little art galleries are now popping up in both large and small communities across the nation and around the globe. Gallery Q in Stevens Point has joined the world of tiny art with their own miniature galleries: the Main Point Museum and the Q’riosity Museum.
Miniature museums and art galleries have risen in popularity since the days of the pandemic when venturing out to a crowded space was ill-advised. Free Little Art Galleries (or FLAGs) played off the Free Little Library concept and could be seen dotting neighborhoods where people were encouraged to take art and leave art. Unlike a FLAG, Tiny Art Galleries (or TAGs) and Museums are not intended as a take art/leave art concept, but rather provide a unique, immersive, and often delightful experience of art, history, and craftsmanship in small-scale creativity. Now these tiny art galleries are getting more stylized and brought into the mainstream of art appreciation.
A tiny art gallery proves that art can be powerful no matter the size. The Tiny Art Show is one such art installation gallery in Provo, UT that is built into an unused door front on University Avenue. Here they host local and national guest artists complete with tiny treats, tiny merch, and even a tiny newspaper. The Pallant House in the UK built a stylized version of their building in 2021 featuring 80 original miniature works of contemporary art, and has also hosted a Model Art Gallery of the Future show for local children to submit tiny art for display. But just because they are tiny doesn’t mean that the art is any less majestic and inspiring.
Past exhbition.
The Main Point Museum (left) and the Q’riosity Museum (right) sprang from the imagination of local artist and Gallery Q member Diane Canfield Bywaters. She constructed them out of two old barrister’s cabinets with glass front doors, adding pieces of trim from vintage mirrors and other architectural details. Each has been outfitted with real wood plank floors and LED lighting, mimicking the larger space of Gallery Q. The Main Point Museum, painted white, has recently featured paintings by Diane, photographs by Robert Rosen, and currently, mosaics by Erin Prais-Hintz.
For this new exhibit, Erin Prais-Hintz created a series of full-sized abstract mosaics called Snapshots of a Universal Truth, with the intention of making mini versions for the Main Point Museum. “I jumped at the chance to be in this exhibit space,” said Prais-Hintz. “Since I make jewelry, working small in mosaics has never been an issue.” The challenge was finding a suitable base that would fit inside the mini museum yet would allow the space to create meaningful versions of the larger works.
Erin Prais-Hintz’s miniature mosaics that represent the large scale versions.
Erin found tiny printer’s cabinet trays meant for dollhouse curio displays that were the perfect base for the mini mosaics. “When I saw the 2”x3” wooden trays with assorted openings I knew it would be perfect for this series,” she said. The finishing touch was adding some mini patrons to the tiny gallery to admire the art to scale.
The counterpoint to the Main Point Museum is the black painted Q’riosity Museum. This space has a decidedly edgier feel. Currently, the work of artist Emmalee Rathsam from Kansas City is featured. Her work consists of miniaturized versions of her surrealist self-portrait photography. All of the works in both mini museums are for sale.
Both the mayor of Stevens Point and the Portage County Business Council have recently staged ribbon cutting ceremonies to honor this unique new feature to the Gallery Q. When the Gallery Q has an opening, there are even pint-sized spreads in the mini museums to match the full size ones for the attendees.
“We are going to have a national call, and maybe even an international call for artists,” said Diane Bywaters. “People are approaching me for shows and I am very excited about it.”
These mini museums have sparked the imagination of our artists and our patrons alike. Stop by and marvel at the tiny exhibits in the Main Point Museum and the Q’riosity Museum at Gallery Q and see how tiny art can have a big impact.
“There exists a kind of magic when I look at a miniature work of art. [It] draws the viewer to a closer inspection, then closer, and closer until a level of fascination is reached. As if the entire world is shut out while life holds its breath,
enveloped in the world of a miniature work of art.” ~ Jim Pounder, quoted in Miniature Art of Australia, Past and Present
Exhbition Dates: September 19, 2025 through October 30, 2025.
Emmalee Rathsam’s miniature versions of her surrealist self-portraiture.
“The moment I saw your art I needed it. No hesitation. I have a two year old and it is for her art collection I started for her. The title, Proportions of Change”, really got me too. Thank you for bringing your visions to Stevens Point. ”
