oh yeah, its all coming together

Carmen Lopez

Revised topic paragraph

Research question: Are dioramas and miniature models still a good medium for a museum to use or are they a thing from the past?

In this revision of my project, I have focused more on the use of dioramas and miniature models in the exhibition space, rather than specifically looking at how to exhibit paper theatres. I would still develop my project hinging on the paper theatres at Geva, but I would be looking at a bigger range of replica models that museums use in exhibitions spaces. I also want to discuss the idea of some dioramas being extremely inaccurate and this possibly making them be a dying museum trend. My project would be an investigation of dioramas made to represent actual size things, miniature dioramas and taxidermy, to see if they have an educational use. “The Cinema as Taxidermy: Carl Akeley and the Preservative Obsession” is an article that is speaking about the history of dioramas, specifically looking at the work of Carl Akeley. “Postmortem Exhibitions: Taxidermy Animals and Platinated Corpses in the Theaters of the Dead” is addressing the problem some visitors have with taxidermy and displaying dead remains.  “A Window on the World—Wildlife Dioramas” is a book discussing the dioramas in the American Museum of Natural History. “Learning With: ‘What’s Wrong with This Diorama? is an article talking about the case study of the American Museum of Natural History’s diorama depicting the Lenape indigenous tribe. And how the museum is now using its inaccurate historical details as a tool, to teach people the true history.

Alvey, Mark. “The Cinema as Taxidermy: Carl Akeley and the Preservative Obsession.” Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media 48, no. 1 (February 8, 2007): 23–45. https://doi.org/10.1353/frm.2007.0000.

Desmond, Jane. “Postmortem Exhibitions: Taxidermied Animals and Plastinated Corpses in the Theaters of the Dead.” Configurations 16, no. 3 (2008): 347–78. https://doi.org/10.1353/con.0.0062.

  

Morris, Pat. “A Window on the World—Wildlife Dioramas.” In Natural History Dioramas: History, Construction and Educational Role, edited by Sue Dale Tunnicliffe and Annette Scheersoi, 33–37. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9496-1_4.

Engle, Jeremy. “Learning With: ‘What’s Wrong With This Diorama? You Can Read All About It’: Article of the Day.” New York Times (Online); New York, March 22, 2019. http://search.proquest.com/docview/2195092040/abstract/9B42DB19727846E5PQ/1.