About the Exhibition

About the Artists

Scale has always been at the forefront of Washington-based potter Jon Almeda’s artistic process. Initially throwing oversized vessels, he began to recreate those pieces on a one-inch scale, finding that the process of throwing miniatures allowed him to focus on the more formal qualities of his objects.  To throw miniature work, he designed, prototyped, and manufactured a specialized wheel, which he calls the “curio wheel,” and he holds the title of fellow at the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA). He documents his most recent work on his Instagram account, @almedapottery, which boasts 268,000 followers.

Also a fellow of IGMA, Indiana-based Althea Crome has pioneered knitting at a 1:12 scale. For reference, the fingers of her gloves are the correct size to hold a grain of rice. Her process of making these “bug-knits” requires an incredible level of precision and skill. She makes her own, almost-impossibly-thin knitting needles and uses a fine, silk sewing thread, rather than yarn, to achieve the tiny stitches that compose her works. Taken to the silver screen, her miniature knit garments adorned the lead character of the 2009 stop-motion film, Coraline.

Working in Richmond, Virginia, glassblower Sean Donlon studies the form of the teapot by scaling down this familiar archetype. Along with his hand-blown, functional, miniature teapot sets, he also creates installations of mirrored and mounted glass teapots in varying scales on the wall. He is the founder of Mule Barn Craft Studios, a Richmond art space that focuses on conceptual craft, and was the recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship.

Philadelphia-based metalsmith Nash Quinn is drawn to the small scale inherent to jewelry. He creates works that explore social behavior and physically engage with the viewer or wearer. Pocket Museum will display a series of Quinn’s functioning micro-guns. Each with intricate mechanisms, these tiny cap guns, encased in ornate mint tins and held between two fingers, actually fire. Quinn’s work has been featured in Metalsmith Magazine, and he holds an MFA in jewelry and metalsmithing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

Based in Michigan, Marco Terenzi specializes in building miniature, functional woodworking tools to a 1:4 scale. Working through the lens of a stereomicroscope, he not only works the heat-treated steel and wooden tool pieces but also machines tiny screws, jigs, and specialized instruments that allow him to make the tools themselves. After studying craft at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Terenzi has been featured in Woodworker’s Journal and shares his process and work on his popular Instagram account, @marcoterenzi, with his over 27,000 followers.