National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Wins Best Exhibition at Ohio Museums Association Annual Awards Program
MEDIA CONTACT:
Will Jones
(513) 333-7558
(513) 288-4834
wjones@nurfc.org
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (April 13, 2017) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center won Best Exhibition (over $500,000 annual institutional budget category) at the Ohio Museums Association (OMA) annual awards program on April 2 for 2016 special exhibition, ENSLAVED: A Visual Story of Modern Day Slavery. The museum’s marketing and communications staff attended OMA’s annual awards program in Toledo, where they also received the Gold Award, in the level 5 budget category, in the visual communication competition for The Rosa Parks Experience campaign and Creative Director, Jesse Kramer, received the 2016 Emerging Professional Award.
OMA, founded in 1976, is the leading advocate for connecting and empowering Ohio museums and museum professionals through professional development, networking events, and advocacy on a state and national level. Each year, OMA’s annual awards program honors outstanding individual and institutional achievements and visual communications. “OMA’s annual awards program honors the best in our state in visual communications, individual and institutional achievement, and the tireless work museum professionals undertake to help to advance Ohio’s museum community both locally, and on a national level,” says Johnna McEntee, Executive Director of the Ohio Museums Association. “The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s institutional and individual OMA Award of Achievement winners illustrate ‘above and beyond’ the normal call of duty to support their institution, serve the public and advance the cause of the museum community.”
2016 Best Exhibition (over $500,000 annual institutional budget category), ENSLAVED: A Visual Story of Modern Day Slavery, featured images by world-renown humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine that not only documented the lives endured by slaves but also celebrated the freedom they never dreamed possible.
The Rosa Parks Experience is the museum’s virtual reality experience commemorating Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks’ historic demonstration, just four days before the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center received the Gold Award in visual communications in the level 5 budget category for the promotional campaign. The Gold Award is the top prize for each budget level of the statewide visual communication competition.
The Emerging Professional Award recognizes exceptional promise and potential for emerging professionals in the museum field. Jesse Kramer, Creative Director, has worked at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for four years and was nominated by his colleagues. Kramer’s work includes exhibit design for Kin Killin’ Kin, ENSLAVED: A Visual Story of Modern Day Slavery, and most recently, Mandela: The Journey to Ubuntu.
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 at last year’s awards program.
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.