Welcome to Magnificent Miniatures!
With over 40 images, this online exhibition showcases many of the original artwork created by cadets from the United States Military Academy in the fall of 2022 as part of the USMA Library’s Tiny Art Show Program. Cadets produced distinctive artwork on 4” x 4” canvases using acrylic paint and other materials. These small canvases were then used to create the Library’s major exhibit: Magnificent Miniatures. This highly successful program and exhibition drew many visitors to the Library and was covered by The Pointer View. The two categories in the Tiny Art Show Program were: Inspired by West Point and General Art Show. One winner from each category was chosen as cadets, faculty, staff, and library visitors voted for their two favorites.
Our goal with Library programs and exhibits such as Magnificent Miniatures is to provide a place for cadets, faculty, and staff to engage with knowledge, ideas, and one another. This speaks directly to our mission statement. To enhance this type of engagement, we created a curated online guide that explores Miniature Art and its long history; this guide also highlights relevant resources from our own collection.
You will see from these images that our cadets achieved a high level of technical competence, demonstrated a sensitivity to artistic style, gave abstract ideas a visual form, and for many, expressed a keen insight into the experience of being a cadet at West Point. Digitizing this artwork allows viewers to engage with this original art in a thought-provoking manner. In this way, both our cadets and the viewers of this artwork become part of the scholarly conversation.
By creating this digital exhibit, we seek to preserve and make this original artwork accessible to all. We hope you enjoy these outstanding small canvases!
Credits
United States Military Library