Competing against household names like the Smithsonian museums and Ivy League galleries from notables like Princeton and Yale, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College was among very good company in the recent American Alliance of Museums Publications Design Competition.
And they won.
The Tang Teaching Museum received two awards in the categories of Innovation in Print Design and Press Kits, Marketing, and Public Relations Material.
Everything is Connected, the first book to document the history of the Tang Teaching Museum, garnered the coveted Innovation in Print Design award. The book was written and researched by Barbara Kahn Moller, ’78, Skidmore Trustee, Vice Chair of the Tang’s National Advisory Council, and parent to two alumni. Including a foreword by Skidmore College President Phillip Glotzbatch, an introduction by museum director Ian Berry, and an archive of exhibitions, the book uses a stunning combination of visual and print media to bring the history of the Tang alive. Everything is Connected was designed by NYC firm Heavy Meta and is the seventeenth the firm led by principal Barbara Glauber and graphic designer Kellie Konapelsky has designed for the Tang.
The museum’s entry in the Press Kits, Marketing, and Public Relations Material category, A teaching museum is…, “pairs vibrant photography with a dozen key phrases that complete the title.” A teaching museum is… took first over the entry from the Sackler and Freer Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution. The book again explores the intriguing relationship between the the written, visual, and tactile with “a series of fold-out sections that feature testimonials from faculty, artists, students, and alumni about the impact the Tang has had – and continues to have – on their lives.” The book was designed by Christopher Roeleveld of another NYC firm, Linked by Air, run by principals Dan Michaelson and Tamara Maletic.
“These awards are such a tremendous honor, especially considering the great institutions we were competing against,” said Tang Teaching Museum Dayton Director Ian Berry in a statement. “Both Everything is Connected and A teaching museum is… emerged as our fifteenth anniversary approached, when we were thinking about what we’ve accomplished and our goals for the future. These were all-hands-on-deck projects, and I’m so pleased to be able to share these honors with all the Tang staff and with the designers, photographers, writers, administrators, faculty, students, and alumni who contributed to these great publications.”
The American Association of Museums was established in 1906 and represents nearly 3,000 institutions of various sizes and reputation. The association develops standards and best practices, acts as a conduit for gathering and sharing knowledge, and provides advocacy for the museum community. Their annual Museum Publications Design Competition is juried and the only national competition of its kind.
The Tang Teaching Museum is a pioneer in interdisciplinary exhibitions, bringing together the visual and performing arts with other fields of study, such as history, astronomy, and physics, in new and continually innovative installations.
If you haven’t been to the museum yet, what are you waiting for? Admission to the Tang Teaching Museum is free (donation suggested) and exhibitions are open Tuesday-Sunday, noon – 5 pm, with extended hours on Thursdays during the semester.
Explore the Tang and other Saratoga museums today!
