Miniature Art Societies around the World

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ALABAMA MINIATURE ART SOCIETY

CIDER PAINTERS OF AMERICA

Contact: James Rogowski, President
P.O.Box 625
Dallas, Pa. 18621
U.S.A.
e-mail: CiderPainters@AOL.com

The Cider Painters of America (or CPA) was founded in 1983 in Dallas, Pa. with the idea of creating public awareness and enjoyment of miniature art. It is a group with a light-hearted name and serious purpose. Our group is unique in that we have a size restriction for our work to be smaller than 3" X 5". With this in mind we have become one of the societies with the smallest paintings. We only accept painting medias or other non-traditional medias handled in a painterly way. Our members paint in the tradition of miniaturism following the belief that any subject suitable for a larger work may also be used to create a masterpiece in miniature. Our membership is by invitation only. A current member may invite one person per year. However, our membership chairman retains invitations from current members who wish to pass them on to artists requesting to join. Artists interested in joining may contact our membership chairperson at our mailing address. The CPA holds their International Exhibit once a year in Pennsylvania usually in the months of Nov./ Dec. A quarterly newsletter (The Cider Press) is issued to our membership giving information, art tips, and other things relating to miniature art.

MINIATURE ART SOCIETY OF FLORIDA Inc.(MASF)

Contact: MASF
2519 McMullen Booth Road, Suite 510-252, Clearwater, Florida 33761, USA
E-mail:admin@miniatureartsocietyofflorida.com
President: Bob Fritz

MASF was founded in 1974 in Clearwater, Florida, to encourage artists to participate in the delicate refinement, detail and beauty of fine art in small scale and to enhance the public knowledge of this much neglected venerable art form which is now undergoing a spirited resurgence of interest in many areas of the world.

Membership is open to all artists

MINIATURE ARTISTS OF AMERICA

Miniature Artists of America is the first invitational organisation to honour outstanding practitioners of contemporary American miniature art. Signature members are chosen from the ranks of award winners in major U.S. non-profit miniature exhibits. Other top professional candidates may be nominated by three Signature Members and elected after a jury review of their works. No more than ten candidates are selected in a given year.

MAA does not produce open competitive exhibits but has organised an educational juried traveling exhibit of its Signature Members' works. It has visited over 40 museum and gallery sites in the US since its establishment in 1989. In its first excursion outside the U.S. it was invited to exhibit in Clearwater, Florida's "Pavilion in the Sun" at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. More than 125,000 visitors attended the Pavilion. The Exhibit is available as a free public service to libraries, art museums, galleries and other cultural groups. It enhances primary goals of MAA - to further the understanding of the public concerning miniature art and to encourage artists and art lovers to join in the miniature art resurgence. MAA played a major role in recent efforts to bring together miniature art societies world-wide which resulted in the formation of the World Federation of Miniaturists in London in November 1995 [see above].

The Travelling Exhibit has just been updated, contains 46 works of art and has been invited to join the Florida World Pavilion at Darling Island during the time frame of the Summer Olympics in Sydney Australia, September 13-October 8, 2000. The Pavilion, designed to promote Florida culture, tourism and trade opportunities, is expected to attract 300,000 global visitors. President Kay and husband Mike are escorting the six-panel exhibit to Australia and will provide oversight at the Pavilion. We are grateful to the state for this superb opportunity to add a unique cultural dimension to the Florida World Pavilion and show case to the world the resurgence of miniature art.

THE MINIATURE PAINTERS, SCULPTORS AND GRAVERS SOCIETY, Washington DC

President[and contact for enquiries]: John A. Thompson
10681 Weymouth Street Apt 2A, Bethesda, MD 20814-4242, USA.
Tel: +1 301 897-5232, Fax: +1 301 897-2536, E-mail:johnt42@yahoo.com
Secretary: Nancy Still; e-mail: info@mpsgs.org

Founded in 1931, by Alyn Williams, Founder of the RMS in London, England, the Society is the oldest active organization of miniaturists in the United States. We are an invitational society dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of this exquisitely delicate, exacting practice of producing fine art in miniature.

miniaturists are considered for membership in the Society after their works have been accepted in the Annual MPSGS International Exhibition for two consecutive years or when they have been awarded a major prize in the exhibition. As of 2000 the Society consists of 48 Resident Members and 142 Associate Members from all over the world. There are ten Emeritus Members and five Auxiliary Members (non-artists). Society members enhance artists’ and the public’s knowledge of this delightful art form through exhibitions, lectures, videos, demonstrations and workshops.

We also provide emerging artist’s stipends for talented and deserving students in visual arts graduating from the Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington, D.C. The origin of these donated scholarship funds came from the entire proceeds from the sales of the first miniature book on this unique art form, “Art in miniature“, written and published by MPSGS member and past President, Margaret T. Hicks.

The Society holds an International Exhibition of Fine Art miniatures for six weeks in November and December at the Strathmore Hall Arts Center in North Bethesda, Maryland.

NEW MEXICO MINIATURE ARTS SOCIETY

The New Mexico Miniature Arts Society was formed in 1988 as a part of the Roswell Fine Arts League and we hold a joint juried National Show each year. The purpose of RFAL/NMMAS is to further, educate and broaden the artist's ability, to provide the artist with an opportunity to exhibit his/her work, and to promote public appreciation of the visual arts. Won't you join us?

For details of the Society and submission to the exhibition please write to
NMMAS, PO Box 2928 Roswell, New Mexico 88202, USA, enclosing an SASE.

WORLD FEDERATION OF MINIATURISTS

Contact: President, WFM Joan Kelly
PO Box 1027, Burnie, Tasmania 7320, Australia
E-mail: president@worldfm.org

The World Federation of Miniaturists bonds together all miniaturists worldwide through both individual membership and membership in miniature art organisations in many different countries. Our mission is to enhance global understanding and knowledge of fine art in small scale.

WFM brought dreams into reality in November 1995 when world miniaturists met in London and took the formal steps to fulfill long held hopes for an international organization. The late Jane Blake RMS, MAA, a key proponent of the idea prior to her death in 1993, sparked the establishment of an interim committee within miniature Artists of America to study the matter and develop an organizational plan. The London gathering, held in conjunction with the First World Exhibition of Miniature Art, sponsored by Suzanne Lucas and the Royal Miniature Society, provided the ideal forum for approving and unveiling the new organization on November 10, 1995.

Management of WFM affairs rotates among member societies. The Miniature Art Society of Florida, through its then President Denver Boyers, offered to assume the role of manager for the first rotation. The Hilliard Society, with Sue Burton as President took over management from 2000.

WFM assumed its first important role on the world stage by playing an active part in organizing support for "Small Pictures - Great Harmony", sponsored by Japanese officials in conjunction with the 1998 Winter Olympics. WFM alerted its membership immediately and, although faced with a looming deadline, the response was most gratifying. Japanese officials reported over 1800 works received including 271 overseas artists from 32 countries.

The Second World Exhibition of Miniature Art was held in September 2000, hosted by Bernadette Connor and the Australian Society of Miniature Art - Tasmania.

The Third World Exhibition was held at the Smithsonian in Washington from Sunday 20th June to Monday 12th July 2004.

The Fourth World Exhibition will be held in Burnie, Tasmania in 2008

While all miniaturists are embraced into WFM through their individual society membership, all artists and friends are encouraged to also become individual Artist and Friend Members.

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