Do Science Dioramas Still Belong? Other Museums Are Treasuring What They Have - Why Aren't We?
- SaveMPM
- Oct 6
- 2 min read
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 Oakland Museum of California found dioramas are second only to dinosaurs at stopping visitors in their tracks. Families still love them.
The approach is evolving: museums are correcting dated science (e.g., overemphasis on trophy males), adding missing context about Indigenous presence, and addressing harmful or inaccurate human portrayals.
Who’s preserving and how:
American Museum of Natural History (NYC) restored its North American Mammals hall and, where depictions are culturally wrong (like the “Old New York” scene), added frank on-glass labels to teach through the flaw rather than hide it.
Field Museum (Chicago) completed a century-old Akeley hyena diorama after a 2015 public crowdfunding campaign—a clear sign of enduring public affection.
Yale Peabody (New Haven) maintains beloved coastal and forest dioramas and reports frequent “wow” moments from visitors.
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County launched “Reframing Dioramas” (2024)—not just a hall of dioramas, but a hall about dioramas—pairing conservation science with artful, contemporary storytelling.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Pittsburgh) made a different call on a problem piece involving human remains—choosing permanent removal and repatriation work. That’s stewardship, too: protect what’s worthy, retire what can’t be ethically fixed.
Who downsized and why: Some institutions—Smithsonian NMNH and California Academy of Sciences among them—reduced scenic dioramas in past renovations to emphasize evolution narratives or living exhibits. Even so, the broader trend today is thoughtful curation over wholesale disposal.
The through-line: Museums are signaling that the right path isn’t to junk the past; it’s to keep the awe and update the lens—restore artistry, correct inaccuracies, add cultural context, and use transparency to teach.
Bottom line: Yes—many leading museums are treasuring their collections. They’re investing in conservation, restoration, and reinterpretation so these hand-built environments continue to inspire, inform, and belong in the modern museum.
According to MPM - the private nonprofit managing our Milwaukee County Collections, many of our built in dioramas "no longer reflect contemporary standards of cultural competency or scientific accuracy" and therefore, are under MPM's discretion to sell, dispose of, or store without public or county board oversight. For more information see our Issue At a Glance page or SaveMPM.org
To Learn More about how other museum's are recognizing the value of dioramas, please visit:
and
Comments