Eastern Museum Laboratory) Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Eastern Museum Laboratory)
The Dioramas of a Nation: National Park Service, Eastern Museum Laboratory & the Art of Public Engagement The story of the National Park Service’s (NPS) early foray into museum work, specifically through the efforts of the Eastern Museum Laboratory and artists like Albert Mcclure and Lee Roland Warthen, is a fascinating chapter in American art history—one often overshadowed by more traditional narratives. It speaks to a deliberate effo
rt during the New Deal era to connect citizens with their national heritage, not through grand monuments alone, but through intimate, meticulously crafted dioramas that brought landscapes and historical scenes directly into the heart of Washington D.C. This wasn’t simply about display; it was about constructing a national identity, fostering appreciation for conservation, and making the vastness of America accessible to all. The genes…