Diorama

Habitat dioramas are the essence of this museum depicting “Nature’s Window”, formatting the spirit and mission of the museum to educate the viewer about the wonder of nature, wildlife, and the environment we share with all creatures. The artistic murals, habitat construction, and taxidermy art show nature in a moment of time in wild places that many viewers may never be be able to visit. Sadly, some of these places and others like them have lost their pristine condition. Many other places, however, have been protected along with their wildlife inhabitants, thanks in part by the advocacy of conservationists, hunters, and artists. Dioramas are powerful tools of conservation inspiring those that view them to help in the conservation movement.

For taxidermy, museum design, and building layout, the Kollmeyers tapped renowned exhibit designer Stuart Farnsworth, of Monarch Taxidermy of Helena, Montana. He and his team’s creative work is exhibited worldwide and he has a following with sports hunters across the United States and Canada.

  • About the diorama process

  • In order to develop colorful dioramas that exude the proper animal habitat that is both informative and entertaining in a museum setting, artists Rich Marks and Becca Allen were selected to create murals evoking landscapes from Alaska to Africa.

    The creative duo loves the challenge of making the museum’s murals and the settings look seamless. “We strive to accurately portray the habitat, and sometimes the animals, paying close attention to the transition point where the mural meets the 3-D habitat, Marks said. “We want our murals to be artistic, yet simultaneously realistic. Becca has a similar style of painting, so we have a natural flow.”

    Marks studied fine art at the Colorado Institute of Art and desk-top publishing at the Denver Institute of Technology. “Both colleges were invaluable as now I can design all of my mockups on the computer using Photoshop — then, I use my fine art skills to execute them on the wall,” Marks explained.

    “Using this strategy, Becca and I are able to resolve any (design) issues up front,” Marks said.

    “That allows us to paint with confidence. And it’s the confidence that makes for a better painter,” Marks continued.

    Becca Allen is an artist from North Carolina, although she earned a master’s in Art Therapy at Florida State University before connecting with Marks. She began painting murals with her colleague in 2021 and they have since completed several large-scale scenic dioramas together.

    “It’s really an honor to work and learn alongside Rich,” Allen said. “He has been a wonderful mentor to me and we make a really great team. Part of my job is to match his style and create a seamless painting as if one artist completed it all. It has been gratifying to achieve that goal as well as to bring Shannon and Cris Kollmeyer’s vision to life.”

    “Sometimes even I cannot believe what we are achieving. It really is amazing to see (the museum) come together,” Allen exclaimed. Shannon and Cris Kollmeyer are pleased with the way their wildlife and natural history museum is taking shape. “Our guiding savant is definitely Stuart Farnsworth. He has taken our collection of animals from around the world and has created the most amazing settings,” Shannon observed. “He and his world-class team from Montana have managed to blend reality and story-telling into a narrative that is clear and concise. Viewers can learn about conservation, wildlife management, and the role hunters play in preserving wild places and wild animals for future generations,” he added.