Tiny Towns: Theme Parks in Miniature

Though the most traditional miniature replicas are created in 1/12th scale, the world of miniatures is experiencing an increasing amount of variety in the scale of replica pieces. For example, it is not uncommon to now find micro-miniature objects recreated in sizes as small as 1/48th scale.

On the other end of the spectrum, miniature theme parks create smaller versions of international landmarks in a number of different scales. These parks transform recognizable attractions into more interactive pieces that visitors can view at eye level.

One of the most well known of these parks, Miniaturk, is located in Istanbul, Turkey. The park spans an area of 650,000 sq ft. (60,000 sq m.) and displays the entire city of Istanbul in 1:25th scale as well as a few other popular destinations from across the nation.

The park includes the most important city landmarks, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, as well as to-scale recreations of historical landmarks, such as the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and other now extinct structures, and does not skip on the fine details, including miniature replica houses and trails in the residential portions of the city. A replica of the Bosporus flows through the center of the park.

In Beijing, China, Beijing World Park spans an area of more than five million square feet (467,000 sq m.) and provides visitors a “taste” of the world without the need to leave the city limits.

The park contains 109 landmarks from nearly 40 countries and 5 of the 7 continents in 1:25th scale. The park includes replicas of such well known sites as the Pyramid of Giza, the Taj Mahal, Notre Dame Cathedral and, of course, the Statue of Liberty and Golden Gate Bridge.

Despite the growing number of newer miniature parks, the Panorama of the City of New York in the Queens Museum in Queens, New York continues to be one of the most iconic and popular miniature “parks” in the world. Though its 1:1200 scale buildings are significantly smaller than the aforementioned attractions, the exhibit covers an area of 9335 sq ft. (867.2 sq m.).

The panorama was originally created as an exhibit for the 1964 World’s Fair and included every building, road, park, bridge and waterway in all 5 boroughs of New York. In 1992, the exhibit was updated and now includes all buildings in the city up until that year.

As of late, new miniature parks have been popping up all around the world and can now be found on almost every continent—from Italia in Miniatura to Mini Israel to the Teotihuacan Diorama in Mexico. Each of these parks serves as an opportunity to learn about the culture and history of its respective nation, and, most importantly, a chance to marvel at mini-architectural masterpieces.

(Okay, we admit, culture and history is pretty important too. But we tend to have a one track mind when it comes to Miniatures!)

(photo credits: Istanbul for 91 Days, World's Best Travel Places, Daily Telegraph, Queens Museum)

Extreme Miniaturists

When we think of miniatures, we usually think of dollhouses, right? While dollhouses are an elemental part the world of miniatures, miniatures are definitely not confined to this genre of the craft. From tiny musical instruments, to miniature food, and petite gardening, the world of miniatures has really expanded to encompass a number of unique categories since its creation.

On the front lines of this change are a distinct group of "extreme miniaturists" who are pushing the bounds of miniaturism as an art form—using the creative process to create high quality artisan pieces. Most of these artists incorporate the technique of hyperrealism into their work—creating minature scenes that are as realistic as possible, down to the tiniest detail.

A number of these artists concentrate on creating scenes that evoke narrative—they strive to make viewers of their work imagine the story behind the scenes that they create. Sometimes these detailed, realistic scenes reference historical events, or aim to bring attention to larger issues in society.

The first hyperrealistic miatures were created around the mid 20th century. The first, and possibly most widely known artist of this genre is the late Charles Matton. Amongst a number of artistic ventures, Matton was known for creating hyperrealistic roomboxes, which can be found in museums and galleries around the world.

Renowned miniaturist Jim Sevellec was also known for creating a number of highly detrailed, extremely realistic roombox scenes, including a series depicting historical scenes of daily life in the city of Brest, France for the city museum.

Lori Nix, perhaps the most noted extreme miniaturist of current times, builds on this tradition of the hyperrealistic miniature scene. Nix is known for combining fine, realistic details with elements of surrealism to create unique apocalyptic "diaoramas of decay". Her most recent series, The City, depicts the aftermath of an apocalyptic event in the city of New York.

Joe Fig, another artist of note, makes highly detailed miniature “tabletop” sculptures. Many of his sculptures replicate scenes from around his art studio—photographs of these scenes can be found in his books, Inside the Painter’s Studio and Inside the Artist’s Studio.

It is clear that hyperrealistc miniatures are becoming an increasingly prominent sector of the miniatures world. While the artists listed here are some of the more established of the field, there are a large number of up and coming hyperrealist miniature artisans who’s work can be found on social media sites, such Pinterest and Instagram, or in small galleries. Keep an eye out, as we are sure to see more and more of artists popping up the coming years.

(Photo Credits: Pinterest, Wikipedia, Lori Nix, Joe Fig, Cote Brest)

Museum of Miniatures Pt. 1: The Kathleen Savage Browning Collection

Summer is finally here—the official season of both the road trip and the getaway. There’s no better time to take a “little” vacation? (pun intended). In the spirit of summer, we are featuring a short series of posts that will spotlight the absolute best miniatures museums from around the world. We have chosen each of these places because of their rich, unique collections of upscale miniature pieces by some of the most established miniaturists of all time. Needless to say, each and every one of these places is more than worth the visit.

The Kathleen Savage Browning collection at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center is the perfect museum to start off this series. This museum boasts one of the largest, most extensive personal collections of exquisite 1/12th scale pieces of all time.

Kaye Savage Browning, the collection’s proprietor and owner, has been collecting miniatures since 1974. Since then, she has traveled the world in search of the finest miniature creations.

In 2007, Ms. Savage Browning opened the 3300 square foot gallery in order to share her collection with the public—the collection has grown to include thousands of miniatures, roomboxes, homes and exhibits.

Visitors of all ages will enjoy viewing discussing the many historically accurate miniature replicas pieces, which depict objects and scenes from a wide array of time periods, and preserve important cultural sites in miniature.

The museum is also home to a number of rare exhibit pieces, such as the Spencer House—a 1/12th replica of the ancestral home of Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales, created by famed miniature artisans, Mulvany and Rogers. Each and every detail of the 18th century replica has been created by hand in an exact likeness of the historical landmark in London.

Mrs. Savage Browning’s collection is truly quite remarkable in every sense of the word. The museum is an absolute must-see for all who love miniatures, from the casual collector, to the ardent miniaturist.

The museum is located at 215 Sutton Street in Maysville, Kentucky and is open to the public Tuesday-Friday from 10am until 4pm, and Saturday from 10 to 3. You can also visit the collection’s website for more information or check out the KSB Blog to read some great posts about the collection and other miniature topics.

(Photo Credits: Pinterest, KSB Collection Website, American Towns, Cincinatti Magazine, Facebook)