IGMA Mission and Objectives

International Guild of Miniature Artisans IGMA Mission and Objectives IGMA was founded to promote fine miniatures as an art form; to increase awareness and appreciation of high-quality workmanship through public education; to recognize and honor qualified artisans and encourage work of the highest quality; to encourage the development of new artisans; and to coordinate and serve the interests and needs of the artisan and non-artisan. OBJECTIVES To Promote Miniatures as an ferred with the status of Artisan. Art Form • Through the granting of the status of Fellow to Artisans who • Through the placement of have achieved excellence in their miniatures in museum and gal- field. lery exhibits and collections. • Through involvement in local, To Encourage the Development state and national art founda- of New Artisans tions, both public and private. • Through the maintenance of • Through the conduction of the Guild School where skills can an annual public auction of be improved and new techniques notable miniature works. learned under the guidance of To Increase Awareness and qualified instructors. Appreciation of High-quality To Coordinate and Serve the Workmanship Through Public Interests and Needs of the Education Artisan and Non-Artisan • By offering a showcase for top- • Through publication of “The quality miniatures at an annual Cube,” the Guild newsletter. show and sale featuring Guild • By creating an avenue of Artisans and Fellows. communication through partici- • Through special Guild educa- pation in the committee work of tional programs, both for the the Guild where the needs of the public and for the miniaturist artisan, collector and dealer can community. be expressed. • By seeking opportunities to • By establishing a standard of publicize miniatures in the media consistent, professional and fair and in Guild publications. conduct by artisans and dealers. • By increasing the understand- To Recognize and Honor Quali- ing and appreciation of collectors fied Artisans and Encourage for the unique skills and require- Work of Highest Quality ments of the miniaturist. • Through review and selection of qualified members to be con- An Overview of History of the IGMA The Origins of the Guild Francis Whittemore, Jim Holmes, Al Atkins, Betty Valentine and others. Those of us who were active in the The northeast was home to many of miniatures world back in the 1970’s, the popular artists at the time and in or even earlier, remember many addition to Darien there were shows people, places and events that are in several New Jersey and Westchester unfamiliar to those who came into our suburbs around NYC as well as nu- realm more recently. There were sig- merous shows in PA and the rest of nificantly more miniatures shows and New England. Joe and Jackie Andrews specialist shops dispersed across the travelled from Virginia to sell at the country and, without the internet, we Philadelphia and Allentown PA shows relied on magazine advertisements, and other venues were introduced in local media and the yellow pages to cities large and small across the Mid- find good quality miniatures. Some west and on the West Coast. shops and individual crafters had been mailing out specialist catalogues as far California was home to a number of back as the 1920’s and by the time the well-stocked miniatures shops and American Bicentennial rolled around, shows in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Sur- even general interest publications like rounded by so many late 19th century Woman’s Day and McCall’s occasionally homes, the Victorian era was a popu- published articles about famous col- lar theme for West Coast collectors. lections and craftspeople. The Mott family’s dollhouse display at the family-oriented Knotts Berry Before Tom Bishop organized his Farm amusement park was a popular show in Chicago, there was “A Small destination for decades until it closed World” in Winnetka where collectors and the collection was dispersed at could purchase the work of John and auction. Further up the West Coast, Ellen Krucker Blauer, Eugene Kup- San Francisco was home to The Blau- jack’s silver and even the early work ers’ Miniature Mart, a mail-order of John Hodgson. Other shops like emporium whose catalogue featured Molly Brody’s in Westport CT offered Ellen’s delicate and distinctive light- artisan creations by Donald Dube, Joe and Jackie Andrews, along with commercial furniture by Sonia Messer, Handcraft Designs, Colonial Craftsmen and Joe Hermes’ wallpapers. Like several other shop-owners, Molly and her business partner Caroline Gruenke (operating as Yankee Min- iatures) hosted a twice-yearly miniatures show in nearby Darien where Mary Grady O’Brien first presented her wares alongside the Hillhouses, Nic Nichols, Debbie McKnight, Jean Tag, George and Sally Hoffman (Fellows) - 1 - Thorne began to collect wonderful things for her famous roomboxes and Charter Members engaged expert craftsmen to make her dreams a reality in the coming decade. Al Atkins (F) Jack Bloomfield Miniaturists in the 1970’s commanded a level of genuine respect and ad- Shirley Bloomfield miration not only among collectors Donald Buttfield (F) but the larger world also seemed to Nancy Buttfield (F) acknowledge the fine craftsmanship Donald Dube (F) that distinguished true artisan min- Marjorie Halpern iatures. What made this renaissance George Hoffman (F) of the miniatures craft different this time was that it took place among a Sally Hoffman (F) wider demographic of middle class Kate Klaven collectors. Instead of wealthy Dutch Pricilla Lance (F) and Flemish housewives and cos- Harry Littwin (F) mopolitan movie stars and wealthy Virginia Merrill (F) society matrons, miniatures enthusiasts came from all walks of life in the Deborah McKnight (F) latter 20th century. A middle class Franklyn Morley (F) housewife in New Canaan, CT named Fred Rogal Gretchen Deans assembled a wonder- Terry Rogal (F) ful collection of fine miniatures by Eric Pearson, Betty Valentine, and others. To house her exceptional collection, ing fixtures, her mother Lillian Gaines’ she commissioned Jim Holmes, Ted handwoven coverlets and the work of Norton and Ellen Kanze to construct dozens of other artists as well as kits period dwellings for her collection. and commercial furnishings. She shared her impressive collection within the pages of Nutshell News, Some of our newer members look which began publication in the late puzzled at the mention of these art- 1960’s as an informal quarterly news- ists and purveyors of yesteryear. They letter written by Gretchen, Dee Snyder might recognize the names of some and published by Caye McLaren before of the more prolific artists from that it evolved into the familiar monthly time like the Hoffmans and Warren magazine. Then Miniature Collector de- Dick whose furniture is contained buted in the winter of 1976/1977 and within almost every collection as- stepped it up a notch with professional sembled in the latter 20th century. color photography and an editorial The 1970’s could be considered a emphasis on fine workmanship. It’s miniatures “golden age”. Previous fair to say miniatures truly arrived golden ages were characterized by the for modern collectors when these consummate craftsmanship we see in publications debuted and suddenly European baby houses of the 17th and connected us all together. 18th centuries, and the 1920’s when Queen Mary’s and Colleen Moore’s Some have drawn a parallel between dollhouses were constructed. Narcissa the renewed popularity of miniatures - 2 - in the 1970’s and the nostalgic revival remains so to this day. of interest in ALL handcrafted things that accompanied the celebration of Along a similar timeline and trajectory, the American Bicentennial in 1976. a group attending the 1971 National The growing number of miniatures Doll Convention, talked about form- shops could not meet popular de- ing a group of miniaturists who would mand with artisan miniatures alone, serve the miniature collector and so cheaper commercial dollhouse builder. Its objective was to create, furniture filled the shelves of many of stimulate and maintain a national these shops and caused some concern interest in all matters miniature. And among artists. Cheap miniatures had so, NAME, National Association of long been manufactured in Japan and Miniature Enthusiasts was constituted Taiwan after WWII, but the establish- in 1972. The organization was based in ment of trade relations with China CA for 20 years before centering itself during the Nixon administration had in Carmel, IN. an enormous impact on the business of selling miniatures. Numerous artists were dismayed to find their de- Artisan and Fellow signs shamelessly copied abroad with Memberships total disregard of US trademarks and licensing laws. Everyone joins the International Guild of Miniature Artisans as a general Faced with unfair competition, and member. Many members are happy to hoping to establish a way for crafts- remain in that category encompassing men to join together to improve the collectors, lovers of the hobby, shop various modes of marketing their owners and others, many of whom work, a pioneering group of artists are makers as well. They all relate to based primarily in the northeast began the mission of the Guild and enjoy informally discussing the establish- supporting and being part of the or- ment of an organization in 1978 and ganization. came together to formally establish the International Guild of Miniature For those who wish to pursue the Artisans (IGMA) in 1979. The Guild’s development of their skills and seek roots were deep within the artist recognition for doing so, the Guild of- community and the initial charter was fers Artisan and Fellow membership in about promoting and protecting the an effort to encourage the growth of makers of fine miniatures and hold- ing them to a professional standard of conduct, much the way the old European guild system functioned hundreds of years ago.

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