My First Diorama (2025)

Back in mid-June this year, I received an email from a dear friend, Vrinda, inviting me and a handful of friends to participate in the Local News Dioramas exhibit, hosted by the Oakland History Center at the Oakland Public Library. 

I had never made a diorama before. I've heard from many friends that making dioramas is one of the pillars of American public education. So I got excited to try my hand at making one myself. 

First order of business? Visiting the Oakland History Center to find an article that inspired such creativity!

When I first entered the History Center on the second floor of the main branch of the Oakland Public Library, my curiosity initially led me to the cabinet drawer labeled "deaf culture." And I learned that there used to be a Sanctuary for Deaf and Mute Children right in my neighborhood of Temescal/North Oakland! I also learned that they referred to the children living there as "inmates." One article described a Benefit Concert for the Sanctuary in the 1800s, where deaf children sang in white dresses, and the journalist noted that the audience's applause was something the children would never hear... It felt bleak and sad, and the idea of making a diorama about it did not feel fun.  

So I turned my attention towards the folder of noteworthy articles curated by the librarians, and found a delightfully condescending article written in 1983 in the Oakland Tribune. The article was about a group of people waiting to see a UFO at the Joaquin Miller Park on a warm September night.

I could see it in front of me: A snapshot of the Lookout Point of Joaquin Miller Park with redwood trees accompanying the group of ten people holding hands. And then two people breaking off, one after the other. A UFO hiding in plain sight amongst the tall redwoods, and little extra-terrestrials, "both on the surface and subterranean." 

I sourced a lot of the materials — green felt, chopsticks, and wooden boards — from the East Bay Creative Reuse Depot, and whatever I had lying around — polyfil, cardstock paper, colorful markers, metal headpins, glue gun, and glue sticks. Not to mention the laser-cut iridescent UFO 🛸 and little aliens made by inimitable collaborator, Jessica Olson, and her dad!!!

I had so much fun making this piece. My partner Eli can attest that I was giggling the entire time while putting the elements together. What made it a blast was the collaboration with Jess, and consulting with my mother-in-law, AKA Mama T. Their input and our collective labor made the final touches evermore sweet and fun. 

All of the 69 (!!) dioramas are on display on the second floor of the main library (125 14th Street, Oakland) from August to November. And October 4 will be the celebration / main event, with local celebrity judges!

See you there?

P.S. Vrinda made an impressive diorama herself! Check it out!