What’s inside the animals in the Academy’s dioramas? Are the plants and trees real? What does an elk tongue feel like? Why did they make all those dioramas anyway?

Secrets of the Diorama, located on the second level across from the Kiang diorama, reveals surprising answers to these questions. Explore detailed fieldwork and the painstaking artistry that brought our dioramas to life. Learn about the history of the dioramas through interactive activities and videos, and see how the plants, animals and background paintings were created.