{"id":176659,"date":"2025-12-05T14:13:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/176659\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T14:13:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:13:09","slug":"the-ottawa-miniature-gallery-returns-with-the-tiny-takeover-of-a-gift-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/176659\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ottawa Miniature Gallery returns with the tiny takeover of a gift shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

A curious structure about two metres tall is sitting in Kiana Simmons\u2019s Ottawa apartment, blocking the front entrance. It\u2019s filled with miniature ceramics, paintings, paper works and even a tiny wreath of dried flowers.<\/p>\n

The artist runs the Ottawa Miniature Gallery<\/a> (OMG) \u2014 a diminutive three-storey building used to display small-scale art in public spaces around the city \u2014 and they\u2019re preparing for an exhibit opening Friday in the gift shop of the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG).<\/p>\n

Dozens of artists responded to the call for submissions and have been dropping off their mini art for the show, and Simmons has been sorting and tagging the pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really special for these people to trust you with their beautiful little artworks,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n

Tiny veggies<\/p>\n

Simmons began making miniatures themself \u2014 small food and other detailed pieces formed out of polymer clay \u2014 as a hobby. They had been looking for a creative outlet after moving to Ottawa from Waterloo, Ont., in 2020 to work a desk job in urban planning and climate change mitigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AKiana Simmons sits with one of their miniature creations. (Courtesy Kiana Simmons)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was work that didn\u2019t feel fulfilling to me,\u201d they say. \u201cI\u2019m someone with a lot of energy. I like having all these little projects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Simmons soon started holding workshops and launched a platform called Miniature Veg<\/a>, where people can sign up for the classes and buy the artist’s products. Last February, Simmons quit their nine-to-five job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s scary, but it’s joyful,” they say. “I have work that really taps into my creative side.”<\/p>\n

After moving back to Waterloo and taking time off to travel, Simmons returned to Ottawa, wondering what their next chapter would hold. And that\u2019s when Jennifer Anne Kelly \u2014 who founded the OMG in 2022 \u2014 asked if they\u2019d like to take over the project. Simmons says it was serendipity.<\/p>\n

Carrying the mini torch<\/p>\n

The December exhibition is the miniature gallery\u2019s first show since June, which coincidentally is when Simmons first met the manager of the OAG Shop, Kelly Dixon, at a seasonal mini market.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to see how much our guests delighted in these tiny creations,\u201d Dixon says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And when Simmons reached out about a collaboration, Dixon knew it would be a good fit: the store aims to showcase local creators, and miniatures make ideal holiday gifts.<\/p>\n

\"TwoMiniature glow-in-the-dark vases by artist Selen Kaplan. (Courtesy Selen Kaplan)\u2018I forget everything in the world\u2019<\/p>\n

Among the artists showing work is Ottawa ceramicist Selen Kaplan, who moved to Canada from Turkey in 2020 and first shared her miniatures with the OMG three years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She had studied ceramic art in Turkey and always loved creating works with clay, but lacked the space for a studio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day, I discovered tiny pottery on social media,\u201d she says. \u201cIt inspired me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SelenArtist Selen Kaplan holds one of her miniature vases. (Courtesy Selen Kaplan)<\/p>\n

Kaplan bought a wheel and began making mini pots at home. \u201cPeople love them,\u201d she says. \u201cI felt happy creating again. That\u2019s how my miniature journey began.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the work offers a sense of peace for her. \u201cI love the details \u2014 small, delicate forms,\u201d she says. \u201cI like the challenge of creating something so small but meaningful. I forget everything in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the show, Kaplan made glow-in-the-dark vases, inspired by an article she read about glowing succulent plants.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her takeaway is simple: \u201cWhen they see my miniatures, they are smiling. I love seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simmons hopes visitors will also leave the show with a sense of wonder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can inspire people to be creative in different ways,\u201d they say. \u201cYou don\u2019t always have to make something huge for it to be a masterpiece.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ottawa Miniature Gallery<\/a> will be on display in the OAG Shop at 50 Mackenzie King Bridge in Ottawa until Jan. 30. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-176659","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}