Enactor Program: Diorama Study

Starting in the summer of 2008, the DMNS enactor program began to be implemented throughout DMNS' diorama halls. Aligned with the 100th anniversary of the Museum, the enactor team began to portray turn-of-the-century characters to engage and educate visitors in the dioramas and permanent galleries.The Visitor Programs Department, who manage the enactor program, outlined several goals for the program in the diorama halls prior to the study: 1. To bring attention to the richness of the dioramas and to the individual objects/specimens within them. 2. To connect the visitors to those dioramas and objects through discussion and participatory activities. 3. To allow visitors to chose their level of involvement and to have the opportunity to drive the direction of the discussion content. 4. To make the experience personally relevant to the visitors by putting them at the center of the interaction, having them participate rather than just observe. 5. To enrich visitors' understanding of the themes, concepts, and content of the exhibit and of the Museum. Several methods employed throughout the study including visitor surveys, observation, tracking and timing, and enactor focus group shed light on these goals.