ITMN Chapter Meeting

September 28th

Wildlife Dioramas – Walt Davis

Walt will explore three aspects of wildlife dioramas-the artistry involved in creating the three dimensional illusion of a landscape, the origins of the diorama tradition, and the important role the Dallas dioramas played in the conservation of Texas wildlife.  Each topic will be illustrated by contemporary and historical photographs and brought to life with stories of the unusual men and women who devoted their lives to celebrating the natural wonders of Texas in an effort to protect and preserve them.

Walt Davis is a retired museum director who spent more than a decade building wildlife dioramas for the Dallas Museum of Natural History before becoming director of the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum in Canyon. He holds a degree in zoology from the University of Texas and a master’s in wildlife science from Texas A&M. Walt teaches nature journaling and watercolor painting, and you can see examples of his work at waltdavisart.com. He and wife Isabel coauthored the book Exploring the Edges of Texas – the account of their circumnavigation of the Lone Star State. Walt wrote a history of the museum in Dallas entitled Building an Ark for Texas: The Evolution of a Natural History Museum. His program will be based on that book.