Richard McMahan spends his days scouring bookstore aisles in search of his next project: perhaps the image of a gilt-framed masterpiece from the Hermitage will catch his eye, or maybe one of Picasso’s renowned paintings. There is no particular logic to what inspires him. He is simply driven by a savant-like talent to re-create the masterpieces of art history in stunning, miniature detail. Working with common household materials like cardboard and manila folders, McMahan painstakingly assembles Lilliputian replicas of works such as Van Gogh’s The Starry Night or King Tutankhamun’s tomb. This might entail mimicking Van Gogh’s brushwork exactly, or dutifully including each artifact from the Egyptian leader’s tomb, down to the tiny, embalmed organs. Housed in his own personal Mini Museum, his collection is mind-blowing in scope, with over 1,000 pieces representing the periods of art history from antiquity through modern times. Whether intended as homages or replicas, these artistic constructions are wholly original and very Richard McMahan.  RM

Filmmaker Q&A following screening