Museum of Minature Houses and Other Collections Inc

PURPOSE:

The Museum of Miniature Houses was founded in 1991 by three Indiana artisans in order to preserve and display scale miniatures and antique dollhouses, and to introduce this art form to others. The vision of these three women was to ensure that collections of quality miniature room settings, houses, and individual pieces would not be lost to future generations. This valuable resource encourages an appreciation of the fine and applied arts.

ABOUT US:

The oldest item in the permanent collection is a dollhouse made by Thomas Russell in 1861.  Tacked inside the wall, we found a poem he wrote which ends, 

Expecting soon to have Done with the Cares of this World
For those That yet may Live
 When I am Dead and Gone
I Build This Little House.
For Them To Look Upon.
It may be Friends or kindred Dear,
Will Think on me Another Year. T. Russell

Thomas' poem illustrates perfectly the intent of the Museum's founders.  Little did Thomas know that visitors from all fifty states and dozens of foreign countries would be looking upon and enjoying the house he made in 1861.

Our visitors comprise 30% locals within a 20-mle radius of Carmel, Indiana, another 32% from elsewhere in Indiana, 34% from around the country, and 4% from foreign countries.

The museum opened to the public in 1993.  Since then, more than 85,000 visitors have toured the seven rooms of exhibits full of fully-furnished houses, room settings, and collections of tiny glassware, tools, clocks, dolls (some no bigger than a fingernail), furniture, paintings, needlework and more.  One-third of our visitors are children, all of whom are accompanied by adults.  In fact, we often welcome family groups of three generations and offer a unique setting for intergenerational learning.

VISITOR SERVICES

We offer special program days relevant to our collection, free audio tours, scavenger hunts for children, a dollhouse with which children can play, workshops on various aspects of making miniatures, and hands-on activities.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

The museum is governed by a board of nine individuals, two staff members (Operations Manager and Executive Director), and dozens of volunteers who serve as docents, advise, repair, clean, and assist with the annual Attic Sale and the Annual Miniature Show and Sale, the latter of which attracts many hundreds of people over a two-day period.

Museum staff is actively engaged in a group comprising businesses in the Arts & Design District, the local chamber of commerce, the county tourism promotions and programs, as well as schools and libraries in the area. 

GROUP TOURS

The museum welcomes group tours up to 25 at a time.  The guided tour takes 60-90 minutes, depending on the group’s needs and interests. Frequent guests are homeschool groups, Red Hat Society chapters, Girl Scout troops, and residents of senior housing.

EVENTS

Celebrations of Creativity and Craftsmanship is a lunchtime program offered for free that features poets, painters, musicians, and other artists.

Festive Fridays occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the museum is open to visitors in the evening.

Annual Candlelight Tour takes place in early December and offers free admission to visitors who can view the museum’s collection in the soft glow of candlelight.

Annual Attic Sale takes place in April and offers bargains on constructed dollhouses, furniture, and accessories.

Annual Museum Show and Sale takes place over two days in September. Visitors can see the creative and one-of-a-kind exhibits, which are handcrafted by local artisans, and cast their vote for the People’s Choice winner.  The Dealer Room offers shopping opportunities for miniature furniture and accessories, dollhouses, dolls, kits, and unique gifts.  Other activities include Make-It-and-Take-It workshops and a Silent Auction.

Special themed events such as Breyer Fun Day (to complement our unique collection of enhanced Breyer horses) and Bring Your Doll Day (to complement our vast collection of dolls, some as small as a fingernail).