Today we look at another FAQ and consider the question, “How do you decide what’s next?” (For our previous FAQs, check out our Mewsings index.)

We always have a wish list of diorama ideas, but it does not remain static. Generally speaking, the list falls into the following categories, with specific diorama ideas bopping up and down within their category or between categories.

Top of the list – these are the ideas that have “clawed their way to the top” by the time we are ready to choose a new diorama. Usually, this category only has a handful of ideas, and they hold extra interest for us, making us really, really want to make them someday. For example, every time we would read about USS Cumberland fighting the ironclad CSS Virginia, the story of her crew’s desperate fight against impossible odds would tug at our heartstrings. She needed a diorama.

Middle of the pack – these are ideas that have stuck to the list over the years with a little more desire or importance, but have not yet made it into the top handful. It also includes dioramas that we have started and “should” finish but we need a little extra inspiration to get us moving again.

Bottom of the totem pole – these are ideas that are not quite forgotten, but are superseded by others. It includes ideas brought on by interactions in the museum, as we recognize gaps in our dioramas, see areas that would benefit our visitors, or add suggestions. For example, we do not have the 1^st day of Gettysburg or the Western Theater (Mississippi area) well represented. This category and the middle one are constantly swapping diorama ideas, as our thoughts and inspiration ebb and flow.

So, when push comes to shove, how do we pick one? As an example, we will use our decision-making process for choosing the next diorama after we finished “The Boys Are Still There” on February 9, 2024.

1) Follow your heart.

The first consideration is which idea has clawed its way to the top of the list, at the moment. This is usually pretty easy, since even the “Top of the List” category usually has a favorite that particularly moves or inspires us more than the others. In February 2024, that was a new version of the 54^th Massachusetts Infantry’s assault on Battery Wagner.

2) Variety is the spice of life.

Sometimes there are other considerations, instead of purely choosing the idea that has our attention. In our example, Battery Wagner would have been a shoe-in—except that we had just finished a major infantry diorama that stretched over 11 years. Since we still want Battery Wagner to be the next major diorama, but were not ready to dive into another huge project, we had to pick a small, less extensive scene to serve as an interlude.

3) What’s the best choice for the interlude?

We considered a few “quick*” options from the first two categories:

• A cavalry skirmish* at Rockville, MD – already started
• USS Cumberland vs. CSS Virginia – only* two ships
• The McClean house at Appomattox – already started

4) Weigh additional factors.

Cumberland was a no-brainer for the “interlude” diorama. Not only would it be small* and simple*, but the disaster of the March 8, 1862 battle of wood v. iron increases the importance of the next day’s “draw” between the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia. While speaking with visitors to the museum, we have realized that many people do not know about the first day’s battle. So, not only did our hearts vote for Cumberland, but we felt it would be an important addition to the museum. Plus, the best way to motivate Rebecca to do something is to involve a ship in it!

Since Rebecca would be the one making the ships and would not need help until making the crews, Ruth made her own choice between Appomattox and Rockville. Both were ideas that Ruth would take the lead on, and both were already started. So the choice came down to preference: a diorama where the measurements of the house needed to be redone, or a nice easy*, quick* little* cavalry skirmish. She chose the latter.

So there you have it! Battery Wagner is still waiting its turn, but surely* only for a few* years.

*So we thought. As it turns out:

Rockville will probably measure 2’x4’, with ~40 Union and ~100 Confederate cavalry, plus houses on both sides of the street. This would make it roughly half the size of “Come On, You Wolverines”!

Cumberland will be similar in size to the current diorama of the ironclads (as expected), but will involve scratch-building a full-rigged ship from wood. Oh, and did we mention that the cats on Cumberland will not be visible, unless the entire spar deck (the top deck) and the masts lift off? And Rebecca is busy geeking out, so we’re a year into the project, and she is still figuring out where each stay or brace leads. Ruth just cheers her on.