Minumental artist Eric Ruschman.

On a Friday in early February, students trickle into the office at the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) with tiny works of art spilling from their school bags. With the 18th annual Minumental exhibit a week away, they scramble to meet the 5 p.m. deadline.

"What makes Minumentals unique is that they're small, intimate, diverse, fun and informal," says Gary Gaffney, AAC professor. "The works don't always take themselves seriously."

He has masterminded the Minumental exhibit since its conception. What began as a class assignment to produce small works of art caught on as an affective way to exhibit, buy, sell and trade artwork.

AAC students, faculty, staff, alumni and employees of the Cincinnati Art Museum are invited to submit. Every submission is accepted as long as it's no more than 2 inches in any dimension. Frames around work must be no more than 8 inches by 10 inches, or the piece won't be displayed.

Freshman student Lavinia Williams rifles through a plastic Kroger bag, pulling out sculptural submissions -- A Sculpi Jesus in a seashell, Adam and Eve and Easter eggs filled with flowers. Her pieces are too big, she explains. The seashell just creeps over the 2-inch constraints and will probably be disqualified. She shrugs it off and fills out the submission papers anyway.

"It's a clever idea," Williams says. "It gives every kid at school a chance to crank out their own thing."

In the limited space of the AAC lobby and second floor EXO gallery, the Minumental exhibit has displayed as many as 1,000 pieces in one show. This year Gaffney expects 500.

"There are some pieces that come in that I just want to snatch up," says staff member Denise Watson. As she catalogues each submission, it's clear she'd like to snatch up the works of Katherine McMonigle.

"What Katherine does reminds me of my own work," Watson says, holding up a flower mounted on handmade paper and preserved in beeswax. The entire piece is no bigger than a Listerine breath strip.

"Beeswax is very tangible," Watson explains. "People use it as a resist, but I like to use it as an actual element in my work."

Erika Hutchins, a sophomore fine arts major, wears a cunning smile and a T-square mounted like a samurai sword on her back.

"Uh-oh, here comes trouble," Gaffney says. Hutchins snickers and proceeds to submit her work.

"I wish I had participated last year," Hutchins says. "There were some pretty nifty pieces. My roommate got third place."

This year she's submitting a series of etchings. Like little family snapshots, they're blotchy and fluid-looking due to the aqua-tint technique. In one etching a laughing face fills the 2-inch boundaries so completely it seems like she'll swallow you.

"They're like happy little finds," says student Kristin Long. "Even if they look small, they're humongous."

Among her pieces is a living plant in a thimble-sized pot.

Minumental artist Matthew Morris.

Typical of a Minumental exhibit, Long has priced her work at just a few dollars. The art is casual and utilizes materials available to the maker. For this reason, pieces can be very affordable; artists often trade work with one another in addition to buying and selling.

Along with the perks of buying affordable art, participants have the chance to win exciting prizes. This year Linda Shearer, director of the Contemporary Arts Center, will jury the show. Winners receive cash, gift certificates and even the coveted Kay Dawn Bunny Cake.

"It's a garish-looking, coconut-covered cake," Gaffney says. "Like a People's Choice award."

The choice is all yours. If you have a Lincoln burning a hole in your pocket, you can become an art collector.

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MINUMENTAL continues through March 17 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati's Eden Park building.