To accompany ‘Does your natural history museum need a makeover?’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1. Consider the last time you visited a natural history museum or saw one represented in a film or documentary. Describe three techniques museums might use to educate visitors about extinct species and their ecological role in their habitat. (Think about and describe types of exhibits or displays. Do not just list topics the museum might cover.)
2. Consider advancements in technology — such as artificial intelligence or virtual reality — and consider ways museums might use such technology in the design of their exhibits. Come up with two ways that museums might use such technology to create engaging, impactful exhibits.

During Reading:

1. What is a diorama?
2. Give one example of the “troubling history” of museum dioramas.
3. What is taxidermy?
4. Give an example of how a hunter who kills endangered animals to support making a diorama might feel they were helping to preserve the endangered species.
5. What observation inspired hunter William Temple Hornaday to bring living bison to Washington, D.C.?
6. A 2009 study found that dioramas do not change people’s feelings about ecological conservation. However, they still had an effect on viewers. Briefly summarize that effect.
7. One criticism of past dioramas is that they sometimes “personify” animals. Based on how this word is used in the story, what does this mean?
8. What are two ways in which dioramas have misrepresented people’s place in environments?
9. Describe two problems with New York’s American Museum of Natural History’s diorama depicting a meeting between a Dutch leader and members of the Lenape Tribe.
10. Compare and contrast the presentation of animals in the “Special Species” exhibit with those in traditional dioramas.

After Reading:

1. To what extent did this story change your attitude toward dioramas? Briefly explain whether this story either (a) reinforced your current feelings toward these displays or (b) changed your opinion. What information presented in the story contributed to the reinforcement or change?
2. How might advancements in media and technology reduce the impact of dioramas? For example, consider the experiences of a museum visitor in 1925 and one in 2025. Now, consider how advancements in media and technology might be used today to increase the impact of dioramas on visitors.
3. Review the description of the “Special Species” exhibit described in this story. Then point to two specific concerns regarding past dioramas and explain how they are addressed in this revamped exhibit. Come up with one other way that dioramas of the future might be designed so as to better address the concerns described in this story.