Carnegie Museum asks visitors to give feedback
Controversial diorama sparked sensitivity issues
The controversial diorama, “Lion Attacking a Dromedary,” was put back on full display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland last month, renewing the discussion about how museums tackle the issue of cultural sensitivity.
The exhibit, which depicts a North African messenger on a camel being attacked by a lion, was removed from patron view in July 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Museum deputy director Jesse Rodriguez said protests triggered by George Floyd’s murder, the BLM movement’s calls for racial justice and equity and other race-related actions were catalysts for discussion within the Pittsburgh
community, which had a trickle-down effect on the museum.
The diorama was later viewable but only if patrons stepped behind a curtain to look at it privately.
“I would say, definitely, there was a stronger movement within the community to look at the exhibitions we have on display,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I would say, within museology, that’s been a discussion that’s been going on for years. How we can appropriately display objects that represent a culture? How can we tell a culture’s story without receiving the proper input?”
Today, additional signage joins the diorama, warning patrons of cultural stereotypes. According to the added text, the diorama minimizes violence, reinforces colonialist views, contains inaccuracies and pits humans against nature. The male figure being attacked in the diorama also contains actual human remains — its head is sculpted around a human skull.
The diorama’s creator, Edouard Verreaux, was known to have robbed the graves of Indigenous people, the text reads.
Anthony Crum, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., who was visiting the museum, said the diorama is interesting because “it’s violent, but it’s putting things on display in a way that’s kind of telling a story.”
“This happens to people of all cultures, all races, depending on what animals you’re hunting. There are white people in Oregon that hunt grizzly bears that I’m sure have been attacked by predators, as well. I don’t think it necessarily degrades anyone. ... I don’t know who’s necessarily offended by it. I haven’t heard the other side to the story, but I can speak for us walking through here; none of us really seem offended by it. I’m sure it’s not the only thing that’s not the most accurate depiction of things in the museum. It’s just kind of a way to make something interesting on display.”
The museum hosted monthly cross-departmental working groups and considered visitor feedback when deciding what to do with the display after it had been removed, director of exhibitions Sarah Crawford said.
“Through that process, by looking at the feedback we’ve received and by talking to each other, we decided collectively to bring it back on display, also with more context,” she said.
A QR code can be found on the diorama asking visitors to scan and share their comments, questions and concerns about the exhibit.
Additional signage with QR codes is located in the Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt, Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life and the Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians.
According to a placard found in the Hall of Ancient Egypt, the museum is “continually examining how to
The male figure being attacked in the diorama also contains actual human remains — its head is sculpted around a human skull. The diorama’s creator, Edouard Verreaux, was known to have robbed the graves of Indigenous people, the text reads.
acknowledge the museum’s colonial past and ensure we don’t repeat the same mistakes” and is “working towards an inclusive and honest interpretation of this exhibit in its upcoming renovation.”
Another sign examines the complex ethical issue of displaying human remains.
A sign in the Hall of Arctic Life tells visitors the exhibit was created in the early 1980s and minimizes the impact of systems of oppression. Because of this, the museum is working to dismantle the colonial perspective in which the Indigenous people are framed within the exhibit. A QR code is provided, asking for feedback.
The QR code signs and the added context to the diorama are efforts by the museum to engage visitors while the institution works on updating exhibits as science and society change over time, Ms. Crawford said.
“I think the same impulse that caused us to take a breath, talk to visitors about ‘Lion Attacking a Dromedary’ is the same kind of plan that caused us to put the QR codes in the galleries, which are our cultural halls,” Ms. Crawford said. “We recognize that exhibits change over time. … We recognize that, although they are beloved and have wonderful objects, wonderful stories in them, and great memories for all people in Pittsburgh, a lot has changed in that time.”
Reed Niebauer, who was visiting the museum from Altoona, Pa., Blair County, said he thinks the QR codes show the museum is listening to the public.
“They’re very focused on keeping everyone up to date and keeping it accurate and really focusing on what the museum is here to do,” Mr. Niebauer said. “It’s not here to misrepresent cultures or anything. It’s here to show natural history, and I think by implementing that option where they can reach out and ask questions or give their thoughts, that’s helping them continue to keep the museum evolving to adapt to that sort of thing.”
Liv Papi, also from Altoona, said the QR codes are a step in the right direction.
“I think it is good,” she said of the signs that
acknowledge the faults of the museum. “I feel like people don’t know the full story about things, and I like how we’re trying to bring attention to everything and show, ‘Oh, it might look one way, but this is the actual history about it.’ ”
Feedback to continue
Ms. Crawford said staff will be seeking feedback from patrons at the museum and in focus groups in the fall. The feedback the museum is getting through the QR codes has been “really encouraging,” she said.
“What it says to me is people are passionate to learn more,” Ms. Crawford said. “People are calling out things that they’re reading in the labels that surprised them … and just encouraging us to continue the dialogue. So I feel really good about the direction we’ve taken, and I hope that we approach our exhibitions in the future with the same kind of thoughtfulness.”
As for the human remains within the diorama, Ms. Crawford said the museum doesn’t want to be too hasty with removal so as to not damage the display, but she hopes to have them removed by next year. The skull will be placed in a sanctuary space in the museum’s care.
“We’ve taken a lot of time listening to visitors, and so we want to keep doing that,” Ms. Crawford said. “I think that this is a really important piece of the process in which we need to do because representation is very important. We don’t want to erase the individual. We want to respect the individual who’s there currently.”
Mr. Rodriguez, the museum’s deputy director, said cultural sensitivity is not just an issue being addressed at the local level. Museums all over the world are engaging in the assessment of artifacts and exhibits.
“This is not only a discussion that happens to the national scale, but it’s also a discussion happening at the international scale because museums understand this is something we need to take very seriously,” he said.