Hello everyone!

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this, so I apologize in advance if I made a faux pas.

I am thinking about starting a nonprofit art gallery/museum that focuses on military themed dioramas as artworks with the historical element built in. I envision this as multiple scales and scope.

I currently work in the nonprofit museum world, with a nonprofit educational background so the nuts and bolts of how to get a gallery/museum off the ground is really not the issue.

What I would like to ask the community if this is something that you think is needed in either capacity (gallery or museum) in the U.S. While there are many military themed museums across the world that utilize dioramas (mostly life-sized in my experience), I think a showcase for the artists that create all these great scale dioramas might be desirable.

What say you? How would you approach it? Would you even try? This is an idea that I've been tinkering with for a few months when it became clear that there are many great dioramas out there that do not get the attention they deserve.

Thanks for your interest!

Jon

It would really be nice to have a place where people's work could be displayed, shared, and appreciated by others. A lot of people outside the modeling community are unaware of the works of art left gathering dust on a shelf in someone's home. A few years back myself and a few members of our club participated in a program called Arts Alive. We brought examples of our work and gave talks to middle school students. Quite a few adults dropped by also and were amazed at the amount of work invested, particularly in dioramas. We were actually invited to join the Art Society of Greenwich, CT, I felt honored at being recognized as artists not just hobbyists. There are a lot of talented people out there whose work should be seen by as many as possible, and not eventually end up in the trash when they're gone. Al

This is an interesting idea and I'd like to see an open discussion of how this would work. Of course, there are several dozen questions that could/would be posed, but its' still worth talking about.

I think it's a great idea, it definitely needs to be explored in depth. People who think of models as toys are often surprised at how much thought and effort goes into even a small project.

Sounds like a great idea to me.
J

OK, I'll start with "Getting Them There" for $200, Alex... Let's say that the city & building location are chosen and all is ready to start receiving dioramas to be displayed. Getting them there will be a major concern, especially for folks outside the U.S. Trying to ship dios is likely a recipe for disaster. Unless you hire one of those people from that Shipping Wars show.

How about a virtual version, like right here....?

Just so we all can have a look;-)

H.

I'd love to see another miniature museum again, but as obg153 said shipping can be a problem.
You may want to have a conversation with Bob Letterman from the old company, VLS. He had a miniature museum in the St. Louis(Mo.) historical district. It contained dioramas and stand alone models from many of the US masters, Shep Paine for example. It was called Miniature World. It is, however, no longer in business.
Bob maintains a web page "bobletterman.com" and he is on it quite often, so I'm sure you can contact him if you desire.
Just a thought.

Great start to the conversation! Thank you for sending in your 2 cents. I love Armorama and all it offers, but I feel that seeing the dioramas in person is the only way to fully appreciate the artwork. It's only a hobby for me, but I pride myself in what I do and that's what I want to display.

The shipping issue is definitely something to discuss further as I indeed see that as an issue. I transport my own dioramas in my car and it can be harrowing at times, so I understand the concern there.

I will say that there are specialty shipping companies that specialize in artwork so there is that option.

Of course all of this would have to be part of the business planning.
I think I am going to outline how I would start it, so if you have ideas (there are no bad ones!), put them forth please!

Jon

Man, I hope you can get this off the ground. Like you, I love to see others work and awe at the things I didn't think of. Always fun to see through someone elses eyes.

Very cool, BUT you'll need a time table to remove old Dios for new. Most modelers will put a dio in a case at there LHS, and never take them home? and they would freak if u trashed them. Just saying.

Oh, they would be treated like artwork. Stored properly when not on display or if they are on loan, they will be returned to the owner if needed.

Of course one of the planning issues is storage, the bane of most museums.

I will throw this out there: What would you call a museum such as this? Please give me your ideas!

Jon

Quoted-"What would you call a museum such as this?" You sort of said it in your opening post ("dioramas as artworks"). So with all due respect to Sun Tzu,, why not call it "The Art of War."
Something a bit more mundane, but still descriptive, 'Museum of Military Miniatures."

There are so many great modelers like Jerry Rutman, whose work should be preserved and available to a wider audience.

Great idea! I like The Art of War a lot. I wonder how many with delicate sensibilities will take that name. In the world of funding, military themed museums suffer from philanthropic indifference at times.