The Biggest Miniatures News of 2025: Makers, Museums, Media & Milestones
- Darren Scala
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
It was a terrific year for miniatures! 2025 unfolded as a rich and rewarding tapestry of mini happenings and big moments filled with wonder, charm, craftsmanship, and excitement. From viral miniature sensations and museum-scale exhibitions to major collections entering the market, the world of fine art dollhouse miniatures continued its remarkable rise in visibility, relevance, and cultural impact.
Here are some of the biggest stories in the miniatures world from 2025, you may have missed that were posted on D. Thomas Miniatures social media and published in our newsletter. Be sure to sign up here so you never miss an update!:)
Focus on Mini Makers, Movers & Shakers
At the heart of every great year in miniatures are the artists including the makers whose vision, skill, and imagination help shape the direction of the hobby and the art form itself.
Meet the Miniaturists: Podcast Highlights
The D. Thomas Miniatures Podcast Meet the Miniaturist continued to spotlight the creativity and ingenuity behind today’s miniature MINIssance.
Jeff Swim of Doodlers Workshop became one of 2025’s most talked-about makers when his ingenious stackable tray system amassed more than 9 million views on Instagram, a testament to how innovative miniature design can resonate far beyond the hobby.
Andrea Stark, from DeasDollhouses known for her extraordinary curated and commissioned miniatures shared her collection and creative journey in one of our most engaging episodes of the year.👉 Watch
Judith Keessen, based in the Netherlands, offered insight into refined European miniature traditions and enduring techniques by sharing her awesome dollhouse miniature mansion 👉 Watch
Marina Neff of Deck to Farm Charm brought warmth, authenticity, and new ways of thinking about miniatures to the conversation
Together, these makers exemplified why 2025 was such a powerful year for creativity in small scale.
Exhibitions That Defined the Year
Festival of Miniatures Launches in Brattleboro, Vermont
A big new mini new event debuted with the launch of the Festival of Miniatures in Brattleboro, VT which included shopping, activities and events highlighted by dollhouses, miniatures, model railroads and more in a community-wide effort to help celebrate the holiday season!
The Anonymouse Team Is Revealed
One of the year’s most intriguing cultural moments came when the mysterious Anonymouse Collective finally revealed their team and exhibited their work publicly in Stockholm. Long known for their tiny urban installations, this reveal marked a significant crossover between miniature art and contemporary cultural discourse.
Elizabeth Kirby’s Provincetown in Miniature
Artist Elizabeth Kirby captured widespread attention for her miniature structures inspired by the historic architecture of Provincetown on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Her work was featured in The Provincetown Independent—beautifully translated sense of place, memory, and history into small scale.👉 Read
Dollhouse News That Made Headlines
Petronella Oortman’s Dollhouse Takes Center Stage
One of the most important dollhouses in the world, Petronella Oortman’s Dollhouse, moved into the spotlight at the Rijksmuseum and the exhibition included a virtual tour with never before seen close up view of the dollhouse narratived by Helena Bonham Carter. This show reaffirmed the role of this extraordinary work as both a historic artifact and a masterwork of decorative art. 👉Read
A Dollhouse Discovery in an English Castle
A remarkable discovery by Julie Montague, the America Countess, of a century-old dollhouse inside an English castle delighted historians and collectors alike, proving once again that important miniature treasures continue to surface in unexpected places. 👉 Watch
Tara’s Palace Finds a New Home in Ireland
One of the most heartwarming stories of 2025 was Tara’s Palace finding a new permanent home at The Little Museum in Dublin. Inspired by Georgian-style mansions in Ireland, Tara’s Palace measures more than 12 feet long, contains 25 rooms, and includes hundreds of miniatures capturing life in the 18th century.👉 Read
Jimmy Landers Unveils His Latest Masterpiece
Master craftsman Jimmy Landers once again raised the bar in fine art miniatures with the unveiling of Hawthorn Hill, a 1:12 scale reproduction of the home of the Orville Wright, of the Wright Brothers in Dayton, Ohio, reinforcing his place among today’s most accomplished dollhouse makers.
D. Thomas Miniatures: A Year of Education, Advocacy & Community
2025 was also a landmark year for D. Thomas Miniatures.
I was honored to present at the Guild Show hosted by the International Guild of Miniature Artisans and thrilled to be invited as the featured dinner speaker in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. My talk explores the history of miniatures in culture and media, with a focus on the birth of the modern fine art miniatures movement in the 1970s and 1980s. I also hosted small talks about what defines a really great miniature at my table at the Westchester Dollhouse Miniature Show in White Plains, New York.
Additional highlights included docent training at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York, focusing on the extraordinary 24-room miniature mansion Nyblewyck Hall in the museum's permanent collection.
Finally, I held several online webinars about how to downsize your dollhouse miniature collection and how to build an awesome miniature collections.
Miniatures That Popped in Culture in 2025
Hollywood & Pop Culture Moments
A roombox inspired by an iconic scene from Demi Moore’s film The Substance was gifted directly to the actress, cementing miniatures’ presence in contemporary cinema. The effort was a collaboration between Kate Unver from The Daily Mini and artist Devin Drake. 👉See
Amy Sedaris charmed audiences by sharing her dollhouse tucked inside an unused fireplace in her Greenwich Village apartment. Featured in Curbed by Wendy Goodman, it was whimsical, personal, and unforgettable.👉 Read
May Burnett made a standout appearance in a steampunk model railroad dress at Philadelphia Miniatura (the Philly Show) and later joined the D. Thomas Miniatures Podcast.👉 Watch
Media & Programming Highlights
Laurence & Angela St. Leger, creators of exquisite tiny automata, were featured in the delightful short film The Odd of Small Things by filmmaker Mike Wallington.👉 Watch
Kaye Browning from the Kaye Browning Collection in Maysville, Kentucky, released a new book and participated in an engaging discussion on miniatures and storytelling on a special Meet the Miniaturist broadcast.👉 Watch
The BBC launched The Marvellous Miniature Workshop, bringing miniature artistry to a European audience. 👉More
Author Abby Ellin covered The Miniature Wars for Switchboard Magazine. and the mini drama surrounding the Kentucky State Fair 👉 Read
Town & Country delivered rare coverage of Queen Mary’s Dollhouse and included a behind-the-scenes look inside its dedicated room at Windsor Castle. 👉 Watch
Collections Brought to Market
The movement of major collections is always a defining marker of the year.
The Sharon Kay Zanassi Collection was thoughtfully brought to market, representing a lifetime of careful collecting and connoisseurship.👉 More
Bold, playful works—from Tiny Aranell to the provocative miniatures of Audrey Bagby reminded us that fine miniatures can be fancy, over-the-top, bitty, bawdy, and beautiful.
Looking Ahead
If 2025 proved anything, it’s that miniatures are not niche—they are vital. They live in museums and movies, in private collections and public imagination. They reward patience, honor craftsmanship, and remind us that the smallest details often carry the greatest meaning. At D. Thomas Miniatures, we are proud to document, celebrate, and guide this extraordinary world—honoring its past while helping shape its future.
Here’s to another year of small wonders making a very big impact!
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Written with the assistance of AI technology and edited by Darren Scala
