St. Louis's City Museum has built a museum inside itself. Tucked into a curio cabinet on the third floor, a new exhibition called The Itty Bitty City Museum recreates the sprawling, oddball spirit of its full-size host at 1:12 scale, complete with a welcome desk, tiny pamphlets, and an administrative office. The tiny installation opened Friday, September 25, with a reception running from 5 to 9 p.m. in Beatnik Bobs.
The exhibition is the work of Utah-based artist McKay Lenker Bayer, according to St. Louis Magazine, which reports that the City Museum reached out to her and she accepted the collaboration. Per citymuseum.org, the piece is described as a 1:12-scale art museum built inside a curio cabinet, located on the third floor of the regular-sized City Museum. Admission is included with general admission or a member pass, and the exhibit and reception are both housed in Beatnik Bobs, the museum's third-floor space.
A Museum Built for Crawling, Not Just Looking
St. Louis Magazine reports that Bayer has staged pop-up miniature art shows around Provo, Utah, and previously worked as a high school art teacher while developing her tiny-gallery practice.
In the City Museum installation, the miniature format becomes a way to build a detailed environment: the cabinet holds multiple galleries, portals, and hidden storylines.
Details That Reward a Closer Look
The small scale here makes close looking part of the visit: some details may be easy to miss from a standing position.
The cabinet contains artwork by local artists. City Museum’s listing notes portals to alien worlds and an administrative office. The installation also has a section on the museum’s history, including what St. Louis Magazine calls the world’s tiniest versions of the museum’s own underwear and pencil.
A Tiny Museum in a Larger Tradition
City Museum describes itself as an artist-built playground in a former downtown St. Louis shoe factory, with spaces to explore. That approach provides a natural frame for the Itty Bitty City Museum: a miniature environment to investigate within the larger one, according to City Museum. Other institutions have presented miniatures in different formats. The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures hosted a Community Corner show of miniatures made by the Southern Arizona Miniature Enthusiasts from May 1 to August 26, 2018—a group exhibition rather than a museum recreated inside a cabinet. And Wyoming Public Media reports that artisans in Chicago created Narcissa Niblack Thorne’s miniature rooms during the 1930s; some are displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago.
A Fitting Home for the Tiny and the Strange
The Itty Bitty City Museum is set to remain on display indefinitely, giving visitors an open-ended chance to explore the miniature galleries during a visit to the larger museum. Friday’s opening reception offered the first look, with a chance to meet the curator and sample tiny treats.
