Kate Esme Unver - The Book of Mini: Inside the Big World of Tiny Things

Argus the Cat, Wire armature, Fimo clay, acrylic paint, and natural wool fibers

WHERE I MINID

Every June hundreds of miniature enthusiasts gather in a fortresslike bunker of a maritime campus in coastal Maine to learn, teach, and create. When I first visited the International Guild of Miniature Artisans Guild School in 2015, I was floored. And by that time in my life, miniatures had been a part of my DNA for over twenty years.

Seeing the raw talent shine through in every classroom was eye-opening (and hand-cramping) to say the least. I furiously took notes, interviewed instructors and students, and watched with rapt attention as master-quality miniatures took form in a mere matter of days.

Awestruck and hooked on miniatures all over again, I began attending mini shows and exhibitions, reading mini books and magazines, finding mini clubs and organizations, meeting mini makers and collectors, and scouring the dark dwarf web for the latest and greatest small-scale news. I was deep in the mini.

When I was just a mini myself, my mom affixed a chunky 1980s charm necklace to my stroller so it was the first thing I saw when I peered out into the bustling streets of Istanbul. Embedded in my re mini scence, a part of my psyche, a language Ill always crave to speak: minis.

I came across that charm necklace a few years ago and was flooded with memories about how each miniature charm moved, felt, and sounded. Because who doesnt love a good mini, right?

WHAT IS MINI?

When we talk about minis, we mean something smaller than its life-sized counterpart. A chair the size of a fig. A fig the size of a Skittle. A Skittle the size of a grain of sand. And yes, a grain of sand so microscopic, youll ).

If youve already been down this rabbit hole, Welcome [back] to the Dollhouse. But if youre new to miniatures, I deeply envy your mint lens on this world.

The world of minis is vast and filled with raw talent, dedication, patience, and nownew energy. Theres a major mini resurgence upon us. Thank you, social media, for breathing new life into the mini world by connecting content creators with collectors, museums with makers, and videographers with viral videos of vegetables (being diced into the great beyond, atop a single candle-turned-stove. Yes, we went there, too: take a trip over to thedailymini.com to tap through the top-secret Chapter 12).

WHY I MINI

In hopes of spreading the good word about great minis with the world at large, I launched @dailymini (short for The Daily Miniature) on Instagram in 2012. It was simply a way for me to showcase my collection, amassed over the years, with a small following online. With the help of many, it grew exponentially to become a curated digital showcase for unique and extraordinary miniature work from all around the globe.

With the express permission of the artists, I still feature a new miniature every day and am thrilled to debut new talent and spotlight giants of the field with an international audience. Im humbled by the miniature communitys massive support as I strive to stay relevant () and always respectful. As a self-described miniac, I do what I do out of sheer delight, cruising the seven seas of social media for the next big small thing. So, keep the waves of creative content rolling in!

HOW TO MINI

This minaissance is spectacular. It takes a whole lot of energy to keep up any art or design movements momentum.

Thats where you come in. If you see a mini within these pages that makes your heart sing, pleasevisit the appendix and contact the artist, shop, collector, studio, or museum to let them know. Or, let me know and Ill be glad to pass along a mini memo with mega meaning. And by , who knows, you might even find yourself hungry to make a mini of your own.