Models & Miniatures

Explore this exhibit as if you were a giant, and enjoy the new perspective that miniatures give us to see the world. This Courtenay and District Museum curated exhibit showcases items of various scales and sizes almost entirely from the museum’s collection. These artifacts represent well over 100 years of artists with a deep understanding of dimension, texture, and detail.

“We bring things down to size to understand and appreciate them. Something too big to visualize at full scale – a building perhaps, or a war – may be rendered comprehensible at 12:1. Artists – sculptors, set designers, poets – work in miniature because it encourages greater scrutiny and deeper participation…”

from In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate The World by Simon Garfield, 2018

This opportunity to share the collection with the public could not be possible without decades of support and donations from our community. The museum thanks the generous donors of these items, big and small, and the talented craftspeople who built them.