For almost a quarter century, the New England Museum Association has run the annual Publication Awards honoring excellence in design, publication, and communication in the world of print and digital museum publishing. This year NEMA received 218 entries from 69 museums, with 44 awards given in 12 categories. As NEMA nears its 100^th Anniversary, the Publication Awards will continue to highlight the finest examples of publications in the field. Winning publications will be on display at the conference in Falmouth this October.

Judges spent the day at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum admiring the incredible materials, care, and detail that went into the engines, and the publications. The judges -- Suanna Crowley, Manager, Outreach & Development, Metropolitan Waterworks Museum; David Whitmeyer, former Director of Experience Design, Boston Productions, Inc.; and Julia Balfour, President/CEO, Julia Balfour, Inc. -- generously gave their time and expertise to deliberate over the submissions. The judges considered factors such as typography, page bleed, cover design, and media. They patiently sifted through all the submissions, both physical and digital. In all categories, the judges were impressed with the high quality of entries.

Best in Show and First Prize in Exhibition Catalogues went to Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia, produced by the Harvard Art Museums. The judges described the work as “luscious,” “a moment of visual respite,” and that it “looks like you are in an art museum.” The judges believed it took a confident design team to use so much white space in the layout, which, accompanied by the high-quality images, provided a smooth flow through the catalogue.  

Books, Exhibition Catalogues, and Newsletters

Alluring imagery, craftsmanship, and paper treatment drew the judges to award the First Place award in Books to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, for The Resolution of the Suspect. The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture and Museum of Comparative Zoology took second prize for their Sea Creatures in Glass, The Blaschka Marine Animals at Harvard, which utilized varying depths of field to illuminate details in their glass sea creatures and had a nice balance of negative space. Third Place went to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for Hokusai's Lost Manga.

As mentioned, First Place in Exhibit Catalogues went to Harvard Art Museums for Everywhen. Second Place went to Käthe Kollwitz and the Women of War: Femininity, Identity, and Art in Germany During World Wars I and II from the Davis Museum for its cohesiveness in execution. Third Place went to The Poet of Them All: William Shakespeare and Miniature Designer Bindings from the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert produced by the Yale Center for British Art. The catalogue not only inspires viewers to remember Cole Porter and to “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” but also gives perspective into the process of creating a miniature book. Honorable Mentions went to the Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire, and also to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.

“Gorgeous outside and inside” said one judge of the First Place prize in the Newsletter category, Plimoth Life from Plimoth Plantation. Judges appreciated the high-quality images, large friendly text, and a content page with numbers that popped. Second Place went to the Fleming Museum for their newly redesigned Annual Newsletter for its palette and simplicity of space and text. The Old Sturbridge Village newsletter, The Village Common, took third for its readability. One judge remarked how they would “Put it in a pile to read next to a ‘cuppa and enjoy it.”

Marketing Materials, Posters, and Invitations

 “I must know what is inside!” one judge exclaimed while looking at the image on the Boston French Film Festival brochure from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The brochure took First Place for its palette, humorous execution, and simple text. Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center took First Place in under 500K budget for their In-Gallery Publication for New Acquisitions and Selections from the Permanent Collection and also received an honorable mention for In-Gallery Publication for The Silent Heart: Modern Illuminations by Anne Connell. Second Place went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for their RISE campaign, which was deemed appealing to any age group. Hill-Stead Museum received Third Place for their Rooms in Bloom postcard featuring a bouquet shot with a shallow depth of field. An honorable mention also went to Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This year the judges felt there were so many poster submissions they decided to create a separate category for them. The Maker Faire Campaign posters from the Boston Children's Museum received First Place because they were conceptually strong, graphically humorous, and created a high level of engagement with the viewers. One judge imagined they were at a subway station and wanted to walk around to see more of them. Old Sturbridge Village was awarded Second Place for their digital submission, Wool Days. The judges regretted the OSV event had passed by the time of judging. The clarity of the poster left judges with a clear understanding of the date and event. Third Prize went to The Davis Rediscovered Community, a three-part poster submitted by the Davis Museum.

The accordion-fold Yellow Salon Invitation from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum received First Place in Invitations for its clear text and high-quality images. Second Place went to the Peabody Essex Museum’s 2016 Connect Gala for their print quality, attention to detail, and “classy use of metallic” on their envelope. PEM also received Third Place for their Rodin Invitation, which was praised for its cleanliness and folded design. Honorable Mentions went to The Norman Rockwell Museum for their tri-fold Summer Celebration invitation and to the Yale Center for British Art for Britain in the World: A New Look into the Collection.

First Place in Educational Publications, Materials & Kits was Light Givers produced by the Yale Center for British Art. The foldout booklet populated with clear imagery and text featured a space for kids (or adults) to draw. Highfield Hall & Gardens received Second Place for their colourful pamphlet Kanreki Critters, A Family Guide to the Print Show. Third Place went to the Boston Children's Museum for their Family Tinker Kit.

Annual Fund, Capital Campaign, & Other Development Materials

The Boston Children's Museum received First Place for The Wonder Ball Program booklet. This booklet had a silver sparkle to its pages with a paper choice that was considered “perfect” by the judges. The black and white simplicity in text was appreciated and surprised one judge who remarked, “it was unexpected for a children’s museum, where you might expect more colors and curves.” Second Place went to the Concord Museum for Revolution: The Campaign for the Concord Museum, described as “lovingly designed, every spread is a beautiful composition.” Third Place went to the Museum of Science and to the Peabody Essex Museum, with an Honorable Mention to St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Annual Reports

First Place went to the 2016 Annual Report and FAMily Album from the Fitchburg Art Museum., the judges noted it was also the only annual report to include Spanish. Hill-Stead Museum’s 2015 Annual Report received Second Place and Third Place went to the Boston Children's Museum, Everyday Impact: Annual Report 2016. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum received an Honorable Mention

Websites and Mobile Apps

The Mattatuck Museum Website re-design earned the site First Place in websites. The primary navigation as a list made it user friendly and the palette and typography remained consistent throughout. Second Place went to The Norman Rockwell Museum for their excellent use of video and high-quality images. Using location based software the The Davis Museum App provided users with educational content and tours of the galleries, earning it an Honorable Mention in the mobile application category.

Supplementary Materials

The Davis Museum Gallery Map received First Place in supplementary materials for its “stupendous” design. Second Place went to Shoes: Pleasure and Pain Exhibition by the Peabody Essex Museum which judges described as “sexy” and thought “the black background is so perfectly black, sumptuous.” Montshire Museum of Science Tinkering Series kits received Third Place for their great concept and idea.

A Note on Publications for all Museum Professionals

The judges were swimming in excellent publications, nonetheless they noted how in some cases the size of an object was too large for its objective or publications used tiny font, overwhelming readers and complicating layouts. The judges want professionals to remember the number one time a visitor will check your website is before they visit, and they hope museums have a clear dropdown menu to help visitors plan their visit. They also recommend all websites be mobile friendly.

NEMA institutional members produce outstanding publications and the judges had tough choices to make. In the end image quality, clarity, and surprise won the judges over. Thank you to all the museums, employees, artists, designers, and people who took the chance to participate in this years Publication Awards competition. Competitions can be scary, but they can also be rewarding. The 2018 Publication Awards will open next winter and we encourage all institutional NEMA members to apply.