Artistic effects transform objects

Forget the usual paintings this time.

Starting this Thursday at the de Sassiest museum, visitors can experience a miniature look-alike -- with a touch of nostalgia and gravel rock.

Michael C. McMillen's "Red Trailer Motel," the museum says, will give visitors peepholes to view the artist's finely crafted dioramas.

Visitors who enter the gallery pass through an old screen door, emerging into a dark room, a building composed of rocks and corrugated metal.

But miniature buildings don't stop with McMillen's microscopic creations. Artist Tracey Snelling's "Dark Detour" captures a similar small city, featuring films, photographs and sound.

"Each person will see different things in each exhibition and come away with different interpretations," Curator Karen Kienzle said in a statement.

McMillen began his career in film, creating special effects for films, such as Blade Runner. Snelling is an artist from Oakland.

McMillen's and Snelling's exhibits run from this Friday, Jan. 27, through March 18.

Visitors interested in the art of miniature collection can attend a lecture and workshop at the museum Friday, Feb. 18, from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $20 per person.

For more information, call (408) 554-4528 or visit www.scu.edu/desaisset.

--From staff reports