Some Milwaukee things come and go, while some become icons. Mandatory Milwaukee is all about the latter. This week: dioramas!
Fun fact: among its many delightful oddities, Milwaukee is home to the country’s first museum diorama. It’s true! Beer, Bob Uecker, the Bronze Fonz, and highly influential dioramas. Milwaukee has it all.
In 1890, Carl Akeley, a.k.a. the “father of modern taxidermy,” created a muskrat colony diorama for the then-young Milwaukee Public Museum. The intricate and lifelike piece—complete with posed animals, elements of the animals’ habitat, and a painted backdrop—was so influential that it not only inspired similar dioramas across the world, but it became known as a “Milwaukee-style” diorama. “Muskrat Family Group” still stands today on MPM’s first floor, just one of dozens of meticulously crafted and delightfully retro miniature models in the museum’s permanent collection.
(And yes, “Muskrat Family Group” is making the move to the new Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin. And yes, museum leaders have promised the NCMW dioramas will be “immersive and object-based, just like those that fill MPM’s halls.”)
Here’s another fun fact: March is National Diorama Month! And that started in Milwaukee, too!
Milwaukee’s own Danelle “D” Kirschling founded the unofficial-official monthlong celebration in 2011. “I really liked dioramas, and as an adult I didn’t really get the opportunity to make a lot of dioramas,” Kirschling told us in 2016. “I had gone to the Milwaukee Public Museum, which obviously has a lot of dioramas, and I had also purchased a pair of shoes at that time, so I decided to make a diorama. It just kind of snowballed into National Diorama Month.”
Kirschling kicked National Diorama Month into high gear in 2016 with the inaugural Diorama-Rama. The friendly competition featured local dioramists creating shoebox-sized scenes that adhered to a certain theme. The first Diorama-Rama took place at Blackbird Bar; subsequent installments set up shop at the Walker’s Point Anodyne, Lakefront Brewery, and Amorphic Beer.
And now, in March 2026, MPM’s famous dioramas and Kirschling’s Diorama-Rama are coming together. FINALLY.
Yes, the 2026 Diorama-Rama contest will take place Tuesday, March 31 at the Milwaukee Public Museum. The theme for the 10th annual shindig, “NDM/MPM: Dioramas Revisited, Reinvented, Reimagined,” will call on local dioramists to “put their own spin on MPM’s famous Milwaukee-style dioramas.” Fun! (Do YOU want to be one of those local dioramists? Email Kirschling at [email protected].)
Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for children 13 and under. Get them HERE. Oh, and 50% of sales will benefit Walker’s Point Center for the Arts!
The Diorama-Rama contest is just one component of MPM’s month-long diorama celebration. Here’s the full lineup, courtesy of MPM, which is part of the museum’s year-long “Greatest Hits” events:
The Intro: Diorama-RAMA
Saturday, March 14, 2026
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
During this kickoff celebration of MPM’s Diorama-RAMA Greatest Hit, visitors can stop by several interactive stations that go behind the scenes of the Museum’s famous dioramas. Families with young children are invited to join Museum Educators for hands-on activities and storytimes celebrating our Milwaukee-style dioramas.
MPM Exposed: Exhibit “Easter Eggs”
March 14 and 26, April 9 and 16
5:30 and 6:30 p.m.
This guided, one-hour tour shares exclusive stories about who designed MPM’s dioramas, how they were made and what surprise details or “Easter eggs” are hidden within.
Tour is 18+; $10/person
Diorama-RAMA Contest
Tuesday, March 31
6-8:30 p.m.
MPM is partnering with National Diorama Month Diorama-Rama to host the 10-year anniversary of the first Diorama-RAMA contest. Local artists will display their own mini-dioramas they’ve created that are inspired by MPM’s “Milwaukee style” dioramas. Guests can vote for their favorite dioramas; the winner will be announced at the end of the evening. A cash bar will also be available. Following the event, the dioramas will remain on display at MPM through April 5. Email [email protected] to show your mini diorama.
$10 adults, $5 children 13 and under, with half of every ticket sale going to this year’s non-profit partner, the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts
Spring Break Diorama Workshop
March 30-April 3, 2026 (MPM closed Tuesdays)
10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.
Visitors can stop by a diorama workspace in the Steigleder Special Exhibits Gallery to design their own MPM-inspired pieces to add to a communal diorama. Museum educators will be on hand to share secrets of Museum artistry, using examples from MPM’s iconic exhibits.
The Finale: Diorama-RAMA
Saturday, April 11, 2026
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
During this closeout celebration of MPM’s Diorama-RAMA Greatest Hit, visitors can stop by several interactive stations that go behind the scenes of the Museum’s famous dioramas. Families with young children are invited to join Museum Educators for hands-on activities and storytimes celebrating our Milwaukee-style dioramas.
Greatest Hits-themed T-shirts, tote bags, patches, posters and other merchandise will also be available for purchase at the MPM Marketplace.
MPM’s Greatest Hits features a lineup of five different month-long celebrations of special events and programs highlighting MPM’s most popular and impactful exhibits—or “greatest hits.” Check out the schedule: mpm.edu/greatest-hits.
In 2027, MPM will move into a new, world-class building in downtown Milwaukee and change its name to the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin. An official opening date for the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin is still being determined. Updates on this monumental project can be found at mpm.edu/future.
Fantastic. Also, we can’t wait to see the mini T. rex vs. triceratops dioramas.
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