National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Receives Award from Ohio Museums Association
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
Assia Johnson
(513) 333-7555
(513) 787-2110
asjohnson@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (April 30, 2016) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center was recognized by the Ohio Museums Association (OMA) for their work in visual communications for the 2015 special exhibition Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz: 70 Years Later. The marketing and communications staff attended OMA’s annual conference in Columbus, where they received the Gold Award in the level 5 budget category as part of the visual communication competition on April 17, 2016.
OMA’s visual communication competition recognizes creative excellence in Ohio museums by field professionals and organizations producing material for museums. Visual communications materials that may be submitted for judging include annual reports, audio-visual/electronic media, books, brochures, catalogs, educational and fundraising materials, invitations, announcements, newsletters, magazines, posters and press packs.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center received the Gold Award in visual communications in the level 5 budget category for the Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz: 70 Years Later special preview invitation. The Gold Award is the top prize for each budget level of the statewide visual communication competition.
"The Ohio Museums Association offers our sincere congratulations to the Freedom Center for a job well done," says Johnna McEntee, executive director of the Ohio Museums Association. “The effective and powerful messaging of the winning piece exhibited the type of creative excellence that is helping to advance Ohio's museum community both locally, and on a national level.”
Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz: 70 Years Later was on exhibit at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center from January 30, 2015 through May 27, 2015. It was one of the museum’s highest attended special exhibits since it’s opening in 2004. The exhibit wove together rare artifacts, stirring photographs and powerful personal stories of local Auschwitz survivors, Bella Ouziel and Werner Coppel, following their journeys and exploring how life and the spirit of resistance continued amidst the horrors of Auschwitz. Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz: 70 Years Later was curated by the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, featuring the Steven F. Cassidy Collection and in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
“We are honored to receive such recognition from our peers at the Ohio Museums Association,” says Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz: 70 Years Later was a powerful exhibition and the artwork developed and created by our team aided in revealing the compelling stories of Auschwitz survivors, Bella Ouziel and the late Werner Coppel.”
For more information about the Ohio Museums Association, visit ohiomuseums.org. For more information about the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, visit freedomcenter.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.