“SO SMALL” MINIATURE ART AUCTION IN EUGENE, OREGON Guest Post by Caroline Hatton at The Intrepid Tourist

Stone and driftwood picture by Julie Walsh (2" x 3") 

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, showed miniatures she had handcrafted and took these photos at this event in September 2023.

As a lover of miniatures, I was thrilled to learn about So Small, the annual miniature art show, silent auction and fundraiser in Eugene, Oregon. Even better, the organizer (the OSLP Arts & Culture Center*) solicits donations of mini art and craft items from any and all artists, offering a welcome outlet for my creations! Item dimensions must not exceed 3” x 3” x 3”.

What could I make? Something quick and easy and likely to “sell” in September: a seasonal decoration or gift for the Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas!

Christmas gift by Caroline Hatton 

Christmas gift by Caroline Hatton

To craft mini, fake Christmas gifts, I split a Post-It-Note-pad in two halves and wrapped them in salvaged holiday-card-envelope paper. On the green gift, I glued rescued ribbon, holly leaves previously cut from a fabric remnant, alder cones previously collected on nature walks and sterilized by baking, fake berries previously cannibalized from a damaged decoration, and used acrylic paint for snow. For the red gift’s ribbon, I cut strips from envelopes. After I dropped my contribution one hour before the submission deadline, I couldn’t wait for the show, to see what other people made.

"So Small" art auction and fundraiser in Eugene, Oregon

On the late-September Saturday evening when the 8^th annual show was scheduled, parking in downtown Eugene was easy and free. At the event entrance, I provided my contact info and was assigned an anonymous bidder number, such as, for example, 177. Then I was ready to bid simply by writing down 177 and my bid ($2 or more in $1 increments) on the form next to any wee wonder I wanted.  

Mini Halloween decoration by Charlotte Pearce (1" cubic box)

Mini adobe abode by Ms. Hirsch (about 1" tall)

Artworks donated by miniature making students

Mini ceramics by Carolyn Craig (about 2" diameter)

Needle-felted mini pumpkins

Over 600 tiny treasures were up for auction! Paintings, drawings, mixed media sculptures, jewelry, dioramas, 1:12 and smaller-scale miniatures, hand-painted gift enclosure cards, laminated bookmarks, painted rocks…

Mini snacks from event sponsors Killer Burger and Community Cup Coffee

A mere 20 minutes into the two-hour event, the line at the check-in table stretched out the door and down the sidewalk, and the interior space no longer had elbow room.

"Black Red & Gold" handmade blank book by Deb Ingebretsen

I won a beautiful blank book, “Black Red & Gold,” handmade by Deb Ingebretsen. My little Christmas gifts were sold. The event raised some $4,000 for the Scholarship Fund, a huge success, given that an 8-week class including instruction and materials costs about $100 per person. To nurture an inclusive creative community, the Center offers some classes that facilitate participation in local events. For example, students who took a lantern-making class walked in the parade that is a highlight of BEAM, an annual celebration of illumination arts in downtown Eugene.

So Small was sponsored or supported by a number of local businesses and non-profits, including MECCA (the Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts), a thrift shop for arts and crafts supplies, where teachers never have to pay and mere mortals pay what they can. It’s next on my list of places to visit, to donate salvaged and surplus craft supplies, and to browse and dream up what to make for… next year’s So Small!

*“OSLP (the Oregon Supported Living Program) was founded in 1978 under the auspices of the University of Oregon to serve adults with mild developmental disabilities who lived independently. In 2012, in response to the limited and segregated artistic opportunities available to people with disabilities, OSLP created its Arts & Culture Center. Through classes, workshops, and exhibitions, the Center is inclusive, open to adults with and without disabilities, one of only a few programs of its kind in the United States.”

 All text and photos, copyright Caroline Arnold. www.theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com