Betsy Croft holds a ceramic pot she made for the Tiny Art Show at Peace on Earth coffee shop on Center Street. (Ty Mullen)
Three BYU graduates teamed up to bring their influence to the Provo art scene on Friday, Feb. 1, in the Tiny Art Show.
The Tiny Art Show
Bayer, who graduated in art education, said she had the idea for the show when she was a student and had an assignment to exhibit her art somewhere. She showcased her tiny art on Center Street, but after the art was stolen she forgot about it. A few years later, she came across a Downtown Provo
“That (art show) was probably my favorite thing and I wanted to keep doing it,” Bayer said.
Since December 2018, Tiny Art Show has showcased different artists who have an interest in miniature art. This month featured the work of Betsy Croft and Michelle Christensen. Titled 'Lilliputian,' Croft and Christensen said the show was inspired by Jonathan Swift’s story 'Gulliver’s Travels,' which is about an island of people who all stand less than six-inches tall.
'Lilliputian' was featured at the Tiny Art Show at Peace on Earth coffee shop on Center Street. (Ty Mullen)
Croft said that not only do tiny things make her happy, but she also believes they can make change.
'We don't have to do these big things to be important or make a difference. It's the little things in life that make change,' Croft said. 'I told my husband, 'I just want to make tiny pots! That's all I want to do.' And then this just fell into my lap.'
Croft, owner of Betsy Croft Pottery,
'It solidified everything for me. I knew this was what I wanted to do but having that final push to graduate was everything,' Croft said. 'My whole life I was like, 'I love art but I'm not an artist,' but BYU helped me to see that I'm valid and I'm good and I can do this.'
Christensen, who painted half of the ceramics for the show, received her bachelor's in illustration from BYU. She has her own brand called My Little Belleville
'I feel like we're such a consumer society that I wanted to design things that were small and special that they would keep,' Christensen said.
Christensen started at the University of Utah but transferred to BYU to finish her degree.
'I really felt like BYU helped me hone my drawing skills, so I became very good at the basics of drawing and I think that really influenced my work,' Christensen said. 'It's a good program if you want to get really good at fine art and have a really good foundation.'
To learn about upcoming shows, visit Tiny Art Show on Facebook.