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Milwaukee Public Museum. (n.d.). Milwaukee Revealed . In Future Exhibits . Retrieved October 2025, from https://www.mpm.edu/future/exhibits/milwaukee-revealed For decades, the Milwaukee Public Museum has been our city’s time capsule — a place where generations walked through the Streets of Old Milwaukee, visited the European Village, and marveled at handcrafted WPA-era dioramas that told our story. We were told the museum was moving. But the truth is, it’s being rebuilt from

PreserveMKE respectfully requests that the Wisconsin State Legislature re-examination the state’s funding commitment and level of involvement and oversight for the new Milwaukee Museum projects. We understand that the new museum is being built. We are not suggesting a stop to that project. PreserveMKE’s focus is primarily on the preservation of the current Milwaukee Public Museum. We don’t believe the public’s views were properly represented when the votes were cast to fund t

Walk past a classic bison scene and you’ll notice something: today’s museum pros don’t see a dusty relic—they see a layered story worth preserving. Across the country, institutions are choosing to restore, reinterpret, and responsibly update  their dioramas rather than toss them. What’s changing (and what isn’t): Dioramas were the original “immersive” exhibits—art + science that taught ecology long before TV or VR. That emotional spark still works. Studies reviewed by the Oak

Photo Credit: Milwaukee Public Museum / via WUWM 89.7 FM  – “The future of Milwaukee Public Museum’s A Tribute To Survival  exhibit,” May 2, 2024. Available at: WUWM article link . Since 1993, the Milwaukee Public Museum’s A Tribute to Survival  has stood as a living celebration of Wisconsin’s Native tribes. The rotating turntable of 37 life-sized figures in regalia was more than an exhibit — it was a promise that Native voices and traditions would always be seen. But that pr

Photo Courtesy of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milwaukee_Public_Museum_January_2023_37_%28Asia--Orangutan%29.jpg Carl Akeley’s famous muskrat diorama  is moving to the new museum. But what the public doesn’t realize is that Akeley’s legacy in Milwaukee goes far beyond one case of muskrats. Three orangutans, prepared by renowned taxidermist Carl Akeley during his tenure at the Milwaukee Public Museum (1886–1892), still greet visitors today. They remain a centerpiece

Photo Courtesy of: American Antiquity, “Stephan F. de Borhegyi, 1921–1969,” Vol. 34, No. 3 (1969), Cambridge University Press. Read here. Every museum has its mysteries, but some say the Milwaukee Public Museum has a few extra guests who never checked out. Visitors talk about cold drafts in warm rooms, shadows that move where no shadows should, and whispers that don’t sound like school groups. So, grab your flashlight (and your courage) — let’s explore the haunted side of MP

The History and Future of the Once-Revolutionary Taxidermy Diorama Once hailed as cutting-edge science, taxidermy dioramas were the virtual reality machines of their day. In the early 20th century, museumgoers—most of whom would never set foot on the African savanna or Arctic tundra—suddenly found themselves face-to-face with lions, walruses, or moose, set in painstakingly painted landscapes. These immersive displays marked a democratizing turn in museum culture. No longer re

https://www.mpm.edu/node/27094 Preserving Milwaukee’s WPA Legacy at the Public Museum Milwaukee has a unique place in American history. During the Great Depression, the city became home to the Milwaukee Handicraft Project (MHP) , one of the most innovative and inclusive initiatives funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). From 1935 to 1942, the project employed more than 5,000 women and minorities, giving dignity, wages, and skills to people who had been left behind

Milwaukee is home to something extraordinary — one of the world’s largest open-air diorama.  For generations, these exhibits have not...

Source: Milwaukee County Legistar – Parks & Culture Committee, Sept. 2, 2025 (Video available at: milwaukeecounty.legistar.com , File ID...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Milwaukee County’s Financial Crisis Threatens a Beloved Tradition — the Streets of Old Milwaukee MILWAUKEE — As...

22-616 Legistar File - Development Agreement for the new Milwaukee Public Museum This document was obtained through an open records...

Photo Citation Example: Photo: Dr. Ellen Censky presenting to Milwaukee Rotary on the new museum project (Milwaukee Public Museum,...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Milwaukee Taxpayers Pay $45 Million, Get Nothing — State Secures Ownership Stake Under Motion 84 Milwaukee, WI —...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Milwaukee Paid $85 Million for a Museum Half the Size Milwaukee County residents are learning that the new...

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally lodge an ethics complaint concerning the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) under the...

Dear AAM Leadership: I am writing to raise serious concerns about the current trajectory of the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) under...

Dear ICOM Secretariat, I am writing to express deep concern about the dismantling of the Milwaukee Public Museum’s historical exhibits...

Good Afternoon Sen. Jacque, I’m writing as a concerned Milwaukee resident and member of PreserveMKE, a group advocating to save the...

When the public asks questions about the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), the answers we get all sound the same: trust the professionals....