American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Behind the Scenes (Exhibition)
birth: 1990 August 3
death: 1991 April 30
Exhibition. Opened August 3, 1990 and closed April 30, 1991. Located in Section 1A, Floor 1 in Gallery 77 at the American Museum of Natural History. Behind the Scenes allowed visitors to see how exhibits in the Museum are created, preview new halls, and view demonstrations by staff and volunteers.
Summary
Behind the Scenes allowed visitors to see how exhibits in the Museum are created, preview new halls, and view demonstrations by the Museum's Department of Exhibition and Graphics staff and volunteers. The exhibition featured sketches, drawings, scale models, and mock-ups. (1, p. 1; 2).
Exhibition sections were entitled (2):
*Graphics
*Fossil Replicas
*Specimen Preparation
*Fossil Vertebrates
*Human Biology and Evolution
*Audiovisual
Exhibits and demonstrations included (1; 2; 3):
*Demonstration making artificial leaves and plants from paper and plastic, and rocks from wire cloth or mesh with plaster of Paris in Specimen Preparation
*Demonstration on techniques such as silk-screening in Graphics
*Demonstration of some of the steps of creating an exact copy of a mammoth skull
*Akeley Method panel with models showing the construction of a taxidermy wolf
*Plans of the Hall of Human Biology and Evolution, which was then under construction
*Proposed plans for the fourth floor fossil hall renovations
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.