169 Museum Publications Honored for Excellence in Design
June 1, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
By MEG SOMMERFELD
The American Association of Museums has recognized 169 publications for excellence in graphic design in its 20th annual Museum Publications Design Competition.
The competition drew 1,237 entries in 16 categories, including annual reports, exhibition catalogs,
invitations to events, and posters. One new category made its debut this year: marketing and public-relations materials.
Each prize was awarded in two categories, to institutions with annual operating budgets of $500,000 or more, and to those with budgets under $500,000.
The association created a grand prize this year honoring the best overall publication in the competition. The Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for Excellence in Publication Design — nicknamed the “Franny” — is named after the late editor in chief of publications at the National Gallery of Art and a long-time judge in the competition.
The winner of the first Franny was a book about the works of the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, published by the National Gallery of Art. The book, The Georgia O’Keeffe Catalogue Raisonné, was described by the judges as “beautifully designed, refined, and elegant, a monumental task that looks effortless.”
Among other winners of this year’s competition was the Walker Art Center, in Minneapolis, which created backpacks with activities for youngsters and their parents who visit the contemporary art museum, and Chicago’s Field Museum, which sent a pop-up dinosaur in the press package calling attention to its display of the most complete tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever discovered.
