Bates College Art Museum Wins Publication Award

Bates College Museum of Art and Mount Desert Island Historical Society win recognition in New England Museum Association Publication Awards Competition.

The Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine has been recognized by the New England Museum Association in the 2023 Publication Awards Competition. This competition celebrates excellence in design, production, programming, and effective communication in both print and digital publishing. It aims to acknowledge the often overlooked outreach and communication efforts that museums regularly undertake through their publications.

This year, the competition received a total of 203 submissions from 60 different museums. Among these submissions, Bates' exhibition catalogue "DeWitt Hardy: Master of Watercolor" stood out and took first place in the category of exhibition catalogues with a budget under $500,000. Another Maine museum, the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, was also recognized as a winner in the competition.

The winners of the competition will be officially recognized and their work will be exhibited at the annual NEMA conference in Portland, which will take place from November 8th to 10th. This conference serves as a platform for professionals in the museum industry to come together, share their work, and learn from one another.

By winning this award, the Bates College Museum of Art has demonstrated its commitment to producing high-quality publications that effectively communicate its exhibitions and engage its audience. This recognition not only highlights the museum's dedication to excellence but also serves as a testament to the vibrant and thriving arts scene in Maine.

Overall, the New England Museum Association's Publication Awards Competition serves as a platform to celebrate and honor the outstanding work done by museums in the realm of print and digital publishing. It showcases the creativity, innovation, and effective communication strategies employed by museums to engage and educate their audiences. The recognition received by the Bates College Museum of Art and the Mount Desert Island Historical Society is a testament to the exceptional quality of their publications and their commitment to excellence in the field of museum communication.