The Bell Museum

The first dioramas were made in late 1700-1900’s. They were used for creating illusions in theatres. In the late 1800’s-1900’s, science museums started using dioramas to educate in science and nature. Dioramas are important today because environments are changing. Animals are losing their homes to habitat destruction, growing cities, highways, railroads, and suburban divisions. Scientists and museums are creating an awareness and appreciation for nature and wildlife by displaying dioramas. Diorama displays vanishing wildernesses and promotes conservation. It depicts an accurate exhibition of the animal’s environment and the different wildlife that lives in the habitat. The exhibits are works of art that show animal behaviors and is a good place for anyone to learn about animals and nature. The museum exhibits different types of animals, reptilians, and fishes that live in lakes, forests, and in different parts of the states. The Bell Museum also has a room where you can see living turtles, snakes, beetles, bones, and fossils.

The room “Behind the Diorama” has large pencil sketches, drawings, and models of what artists used to plan the dioramas. They have a display of the different types of tools taxidermists use to make the animals in the dioramas. In another display case, shows how the animal’s environment was made using dried leaves and reproduced vegetation. It’s neat how they show us how the dioramas were researched, planned, and then made.

The paintings in “Drawn to Nature” art exhibition are artist’s own inspirations for the natural world. There were paintings of animals such as elk, moose, and buffalos in their habitat. It’s like your looking out a window and watching the animals in their habitat.
The appreciation for nature’s beauty was painted in the bright colors of the skies, snowy stumps, and Lake Superior rock in water. The acrylic painting “Barnswallow on Nest” by the artist Kellie Rae Theiss was a painting of a mother barnswallow bird on the side of her nest of hungry babies. The three baby bird’s mouths were open wide waiting for the mother bird to put food in their mouths. It’s amazing how she depicted a mother bird in action feeding her young babies. There were photographs of Choppen waterfalls, Red Pine forests, and ocean waves catching nature’s beauty also. I liked the photo of the “Lotus Field” by Chris Faust. It is a photograph of the artist’s appreciation for nature’s beauty and it’s beautiful field of blossomed white lotus flowers.

The dioramas at the Bell Museum are scenes of animals in its habitat. The animal’s behaviors are amazingly realistic. The animal’s habitats are realistically well done and beautiful. There were fun activities for children to do in the halls of the dioramas such as the “Bog Walk” to get a feel of how walking on bogs feel like. The “Be a Bear” activity had two bear costumes and a bear den made of sticks and logs to get the feel of being a bear would feel like. It’s a fun atmosphere and very educational.