Innovative Museum Exhibitions: Wildlife Mounting, Heritage Restoration & Educational Design

For over two decades, I’ve blended taxidermy, skeletal mounting, and exhibition design to shape Kenya’s museum landscape. My work goes beyond specimen preparation—it’s about crafting immersive, educational spaces that honour biodiversity, heritage, and civic memory. From wildlife dioramas to historical galleries, I’ve helped institutions tell stories that resonate across generations.

At the National Museums of Kenya, I was actively involved in the Museum in Change initiative, developing fresh exhibitions under the titles Human Origins, Cycles of Life, Mammal Gallery, and History of Kenya. As lead designer for the Mammal and History galleries, I integrated scientific accuracy with cultural symbolism—creating displays that remain central to NMK’s visitor experience.

                                            The mammal Gallery, Nairobi National Museum

                                    A display of a fibreglass hippo in the locomotion theme of the Mammal Gallery

                                                           An eater in the locomotion theme of the Mammal Gallery

My expertise extends to national monuments, county museums, and training institutes. Whether restoring faded taxidermy, mounting skeletons for veterinary education, or designing interpretive exhibits, I approach each project with precision, creativity, and cultural insight.

 Contributions to Institutions

• Lead designer: Mammal Gallery & History of Kenya Gallery, NMK

• Exhibition team member: Judiciary Museum, Uhuru Gardens Monument & Museum, Kenya Ports Authority Museum (Mombasa), Kenya School of Government Museum (Kabete)

• Consultant: Mutomo Botanical Gardens & Museum (Kitui), Wajir County Museum

                      

 Wildlife restoration of a Greater Kudu at the Thika Golf club had a damaged mouth and nose but was repaired successfully

Professional Taxidermy and Skeletal Mounting for Museums and Colleges

Taxidermy is a science, a craft, and a storytelling tool. It plays a vital role in preserving the anatomical form of both extant and extinct species, offering lifelike representations that educate and inspire. Whether displayed in museums or colleges, mounted specimens and reconstructed skeletons serve as tactile learning resources—teaching anatomy, biology, history, and conservation. Because many living tissues like eyes and tongues cannot be preserved, practitioners must master techniques in skinning, tanning, mannequin building, and realistic installation of artificial features. My own career has blended precision and creativity—from reviving jackals and leopards to mounting rhino skeletons at Lewa Conservancy and NMK and even reconstructing the extinct dodo using chicken skin. Taxidermy is not merely preservation—it’s a portal into the lives and legacies of animals that shaped our landscapes and imaginations. As an artist, my work bridges scientific fidelity and cultural expression, ensuring each specimen speaks to both knowledge and memory.

🐾 Wildlife Specimens – Skinning, Tanning & Mounting

I provide expert wildlife specimen preparation, including skinning, tanning, and full-body mounting of both wild and domestic animals. With hands-on experience restoring and preparing leopards, jackals, lions, goats, and even chickens, my mounts combine anatomical accuracy with cultural relevance. Whether for museum display, educational use, or conservation storytelling, each specimen is treated with care and precision. My techniques ensure longevity, pose flexibility, and vivid presentation. Paired with detailed documentation and professional photography.

After skinning and leather tanning, a taxidermy mannequin is prepared and the goat is mounted, ready for museum exhibition display in a showcase

Skeleton Assemblies – Display-Ready Mounting for Institutions

Skeleton mounting demands both anatomical knowledge and structural craftsmanship. I have contributed to museum-grade assemblies, including rhino specimens at Lewa Conservancy and the renowned “Karanja” skeleton at the National Museums of Kenya. My work includes cows, donkeys, goats, and other domestic animals, used for educational displays at agricultural institutes like the Livestock Training Institute at Griftu, in Wajir. Each skeletal build is designed for durability and is anchored with relevant sizes of metal and wire. Whether you need freestanding or case-mounted skeletons, I customise every detail to client needs. I also provide text and photographic records to support the exhibition curation.

                                 

                             A rhino skeleton has been mounted, ready for for training at the Lewa Conservancy

Restoration Work – Taxidermy Repairs & Revitalization

Over time, taxidermy specimens lose vibrancy, structure, or physical integrity due to environmental wear or poor storage. I specialise in restoring such objects—repairing cracked ears, faded skin tones, collapsed musculature, and brittle textures in mounts including jackals, leopards, and lions. Whether it's recolouring fur or restoring missing toenails, my approach restores life without compromising original character. My restoration work preserves Kenya’s taxidermy assets while minimising costs for total remounting.

                                                            A discoloured wildlife specimen and the same leopard after restoration

Training & Curriculum Development – Taxidermy Education Solutions

As a cultural educator, I developed a full taxidermy training course that can be adopted by colleges or institutions. This curriculum blends anatomy, preservation techniques, ethics, and exhibition skills. I’ve also proposed and supported workshop setups, including the NMK Taxidermy Workshop funded by the Kenya Museums Society. The course covers skinning, tanning, mannequin creation, mounting, and skeletal assembly—alongside hands-on safety procedures and local adaptations. I'm available for training implementation, workshop mentorship, and academic content development for institutions looking to build or refresh their conservation education programmes.

A certificate awarded after a successful intense training workshop in wildlife  taxidermy and restoration at the National Museums of Kenya that covered birds, reptiles, mammals, and fish specimens

                                          The cover of a Taxidermy course outline proposal for colleges and universities

Special Projects – Cultural Taxidermy Exhibits & Commissions

Beyond standard mounts, I offer creative taxidermy solutions tailored to rare or symbolic exhibits. Notably, I crafted a lifelike dodo specimen using chicken skins and donated it to NMK after a critically acclaimed exhibition. Such work blends anatomical imagination and technical innovation. Clients include museums, conservancies, and educators seeking one-of-a-kind pieces that provoke discussion and inspire conservation.

                              

                     The extinct dodo was made to scale, using chicken skins and feathers to give a realistic look. 

I’m available for project consultations, custom commissions, and technical support across Kenya and East Africa. Specimen quality, ethical sourcing, and cultural relevance are central to every piece I produce.

Conclusion: Museums as Movements

From skeletal mounts to living museums, my work aims to seed a movement—one where exhibitions are not just seen but also experienced. By blending technical skill with cultural insight, I hope to inspire a new generation of museum experiences that honour heritage while embracing innovation.

Beyond my work in museum exhibition development and design, I am also an accomplished painter with a focus on acrylics on canvas and fibreglass sculpture. My art explores themes of resistance, memory, and cultural identity, often drawing from Kenya’s rich heritage and oral traditions. Below are select samples that reflect this intersection of history and visual storytelling.

Dedan Kimathi: Acrylic on canvas. This portrait honours the legendary Mau Mau leader, capturing his defiant spirit and enduring legacy in Kenya’s fight for independence. The textured brushwork evokes both grit and grace.

The Sacrifice: Acrylic on canvas. A deeply symbolic piece depicting Gikuyu offering a goat beneath the sacred Mugumo tree in a ritual for God's mercy and provision of husbands for his daughters. The composition blends creativity with the mythical story of origins. 

Contact me via WhatsApp: +254734906002

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Books: 📚 In addition to my museum and artistic work, I am a published author with a passion for storytelling that educates and inspires. I have written 16 traditionally published books and 5 self-published titles on Amazon, spanning children’s literature and young adult fiction. My stories blend humor, heritage, and imagination—inviting readers to explore African identity through engaging narratives.

Ghost Writing

If you need help to write you story or biography and are not sure how to start, contact me herr: https://kenyaviews.blogspot.com/p/ghostwriting-translation-kikuyu-culture.html

Kikuyu lessons via WhatsApp, from basics to advanced. 

These lessons are interactive with voce notes and excersises designed give immersive learning of the language and culture.: https://kenyaviews.blogspot.com/p/speak-kikuyu-from-anywhere-your.html

Translation of English to Kiswahili and vice versa

I have written several works of fiction in both English and Kiswahili besides having helped several organisation to translate between the two languages. For mor details, read this page:

https://kenyaviews.blogspot.com/p/swahili-english-translation-services-by.html