Reading Response 5

I chose to visit the American Museum of Natural History as a means of gaining a deeper appreciation of the scientific world around us. As I continue my day to day activities of going to school or hanging out with friends, it’s easy to lose sight of how far we have come as a society. People have become more focused on their own agendas and have forgotten the scientific world they’re encompassed in. Over the years, people have studied all aspects of the world, and because of this, there’s an abundance of knowledge about earth’s animals, natural gems, and extinct species that’s waiting to be explored in the American Museum of Natural History. 

The exhibit that caught my attention was one of the first exhibits I visited; this exhibit was the Akeley Hall of African Mammals. The centerpiece of this exhibit was the large life size sculptures of elephants that resided in front of the entrance of the exhibit. Surrounding the elephants were various dioramas of different African mammals and their habitats. Though a specific cultural moment wasn’t highlighted by these dioramas, one thing I appreciated was an emphasis of community in each of the dioramas I saw. A trend among all the dioramas was that each mammal represented was accompanied by at least two of its kind. For example, the dioramas of the Greater Koodoo, which was created in 1971 by Carl Akeley using a paper mache method, had three Greater Koodoos within it. The diorama labeled Bongo, which was created by Carl Akeley using the same paper mache method during the 1900s, had two Bongos in it. In the Greater Koodoo diorama and the Bongo diorama, it seems like both species were scouring for food. By having multiple Greater Koodoos or multiple Bongos scourging for food, there was once again this emphasis on community as the mammals were searching for food as a collective. It was significant to find out that the layout of each diagram was a replica of a photo taken by scientists exploring Africa. Knowing that the diorama wasn’t fabricated to show the community made the exhibit seem more authentic. To find out that in their natural habitat, the Greater Koodoos and Bongos naturally ban together to solve problems such as sourcing food makes the theme of community more prevalent in the exhibit.  

Viewing this exhibit helped me realize how important community is. Community encompasses all aspects of life, and to see how different species of animals all encompass community by working together to scourge food, it made me realize the importance of working together with my peers whether it be on assignments or helping each other out with mundane tasks. Hopefully, this message is prevalent when others decide to visit the museum. Apart from that, people should visit the museum because the opportunity to view the unique species in their natural habitat is quite rare. With the advancement of technology, people can easily see the species displayed at the museum online. However, seeing it in person as forms of sculptures is more significant and realistic. Seeing a 3D depiction of these species helps employ more empathy compared to viewing a 2D version of the species and their habitat online. Seeing these animals purely in their natural habitat made me realize humans are not the only people living on earth. With issues of climate change becoming more prevalent in the world, there is more emphasis on visiting the museum. If we are not preserving the planet for our sake, we should at least be preserving the planet to protect these innocent animals and their habitat. This museum should speak to everybody who lives on earth because everybody has an equal responsibility to preserve the earth and ensure its habitants and their habitats are maintained for years. In summary, if not for admiring the sculptures of unique species in their natural habitat, people should visit the museum as a means of realizing the importance of preserving our earth not just for us humans but for the various animal species that also reside on earth. 

Apart from that, I believe the exhibit was effectively organized. The large life size elephants that were created by Carl Akely in 1914 using paper mache effectively helped attract a large audience into the exhibit primarily due to its size and lifelike appearance. As I was walking around the elephant sculpture, my eyes naturally gravitated towards the dioramas surrounding the elephant because the dioramas were lit up compared to the dim lighting of the exhibit. Also, each diorama consisted of complimenting colors that didn’t distract from the main focus of the dioramas, the animals! However, one design flaw was the lack of direct accessibility to the dioramas on the floor above the floor with the elephants. Since the entrance leading to the second floor of the dioramas weren’t very apparent, many might opt out to view the second floor of dioramas. Other than that, I believe the exhibit was neatly and effectively curated to attract audiences to each different diorama.