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Winners of the 2021 SEMC Museum Professional and Competition Awards
The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 James R. Short Award, Outstanding Service to the Museum Profession Award, Museum Leadership Award and Emerging Museum Professional Award. Winners were chosen from a wide range of nominees from across the Southeastern United States. The SEMC Awards Committee, chaired by Rosalind Martin with committee members, Robin Reed, Nancy Strickland Fields and David Butler, honors outstanding colleagues who have helped shape the world of museums.
James R. Short Award
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George Bassi, Executive Director of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi
Established by SEMC in 1981, the James R. Short Award recognizes individuals who have given a lifetime (20+ years) of service to the museum profession, with a significant portion of that service at a museum within the SEMC region. It is the most prestigious recognition of service to the museum profession in the southeast.
George Bassi, recipient of the 2021 James R. Short Award, is a native of Leland, Mississippi. He received his undergraduate degree in Accounting and Computer Information Systems from Delta State University in 1987 and his Master of Arts degree in mass communications and public relations from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1993.
Mr. Bassi has more than thirty years of non-profit management and arts administration experience working at the Delta State University Alumni & Foundation, the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation and the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art where he currently serves as the Executive Director, a position he has held since 1994. He is an accreditation reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums and is a Past President of the Board of the Southeastern Museums Conference. Mr. Bassi has served as a faculty member for the Jekyll Island Management Institute since 2005 and is a Past Chair of the Council of Regions Association for the American Alliance of Museums. He serves on the Mississippi advisory committee for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Advisory Board for the Partners for the Arts at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the board of the Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters, where he is a past president. He is a member and past president of the Laurel Rotary Club, Chairman of the Board of the Economic Development Authority of Laurel-Jones County Mississippi, Chair of the Laurel-Jones County Tourism Committee, and on the Board of the United Way of the Pine Belt.
Excerpts from George Bassi’s nomination letters:
Foremost among the leaders in museums in the Southeast is unquestionably George Bassi, whose accomplishments are many and varied and whose dedication to our profession over the years has been profound, ostensible, and significant, particularly during times of change or tension. George has been of “kind assistance,” as Webster defines “service,” to museums from Laurel to Los Angeles, from Jackson to Little Rock, and from Washington D.C. to Brunswick, Georgia. Over the years many of us responded when asked for the suggestion of a willing committee member, for a workshop leader, or for a session presenter: George Bassi! Our peer professional organizations—SEMC, AAM— often said the same, and I know that my museum and many others have benefited from George’s leadership in the Southeast. It is my pleasure to nominate him for the James R. Short Award, an honor for which his years of service, his commitment to the field, and his unfailing volunteerism make him uniquely suited.
I would like to focus on the qualities that make George such a special person—his kindness, compassion, and the profound joy that he takes in museum work, museum professionals, and the communities we serve. George is the person who lights up every room he enters, who never meets a stranger, and who is always happy to lend an attentive ear, a helping hand, or a consoling shoulder.
George Bassi.
Dr. Catherine M. Lewis, Assistant Vice President of Museums, Archives & Rare Books, Director of the
Museum of History and Holocaust Education; and professor of history at Kennesaw State University in
Atlanta, Georgia
Initiated in 1999, this award recognizes a leader with 10 or more years of service to an allied or affiliated professional organization. Such a leader will have assisted the museum profession in areas such as program organization and long-term cultural development.
Dr. Catherine M. Lewis, recipient of the 2021
Outstanding Service to the Museum Profession
Award, has been a museum director and administrator since 2003, faculty member since 1997, and is a thought-leader and sought after public speaker on leadership, sport, museums, and history. In her current role as Assistant Vice President of Museums, Archives & Rare Books; Director of the Museum of History and Holocaust Education; and Professor of History at Kennesaw State University, she oversees a multi-million-dollar budget with a staff of more than 20 professionals. Dr. Lewis is the author, co-editor, or co-author of fifteen books, including Museums in a Cross Cultural Context with Jennifer Dickey and Samir el Azhar, and has curated more than 40 exhibits for organizations around the nation including the Atlanta History Center, the Breman Museum, Delta Air Lines, Augusta National Golf Club, and the United Way. Dr. Lewis’s research interests are varied and include World War II and the Holocaust, Jewish history, public history, sport history, African-American history, women’s history, and museum studies. Dr. Lewis regularly presents at national and international conferences and has helped bring numerous grants to KSU from the U.S. State Department, the American Alliance of Museums, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Marcus Foundation, and the Breman Foundation. Dr. Lewis completed her second term as president of the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries in 2016. She serves on several boards, including the Women’s Leadership Committee at Kennesaw State University, the Yates Scholarship Board for the Georgia State Golf Association, and the Museum Committee for the United States Golf Association. She is the chair of the Bobby Jones Scholarship Advisory Committee, a partnership between Emory University and the University of St. Andrews.
Excerpts from Dr. Lewis’s nomination letters:
One of her most powerful assets is her inclusive spirit and willingness to collaborate. Through the years, she has partnered with numerous museums, universities, government entities, and organizations to advance museum and cultural development on several levels. Her involvement on projects with the Breman Museum, Atlanta History Center, University of Tennessee, Hassan II University of Casablanca, and Emory, among others, have resulted in exhibits and projects viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. Connected to these exhibits are articles, books, videos, study guides, presentations, and panels, all created and conveyed with her trademark enthusiasm.
A mark of true leadership is shown in the most challenging times, and Catherine exemplifies this mark. During the Covid crisis, when visitation to cultural sites was limited, Catherine rallied her teams to find new ways to reach visitors. Within weeks, virtual tours and digital educational programs were created for K-12 and university levels, and the department was sharing digital resources and skills with museums throughout the state.
Museum Leadership Award
Ahmad Ward, Executive Director for the Historic
Mitchelville Freedom Park located on Hilton Head
Island, South Carolina
Initiated in 1994, this award recognizes mid-career museum professionals who have shown significant advancement within the profession by leadership in museum activities at his or her institution, within the museum profession as a whole, and especially in the southeast region.
Ahmad Ward is the recipient of the 2021 Museum Leadership Award. The mission of the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park is to preserve, promote and honor Historic Mitchelville, the first self governed town of formerly enslaved people in the United States. Mr. Ward is responsible for implementing the Mitchelville master plan that will recreate this historic town as an interpretative site. The Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park will convey this important story of freedom and citizenship to visitors from around the country. Prior to this position, Mr. Ward spent fifteen years leading the Education Department at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham Alabama. It is there where he honed his expertise in telling the story of civil and human rights in America, with a focus on historic analysis and application to current social justice issues. With Masters-level training and years of experience in exhibition design, he brings a strong understanding of storytelling and the importance of technology in interpretation. Mr. Ward has been responsible for creating programming partnerships with local schools, universities and organizations; teacher and student resources; written articles, blogs and essays for local, national and international platforms as well as the development of public programming for communityat-large in the areas of civil and human rights movements, multiculturalism and contemporary human rights issues. He is a native of Elizabeth City, North Carolina and holds a BA in Art from Elizabeth City State University and a MA in Museum Studies from Hampton University. Mr. Ward is a Board member of the Association of African American Museums, a member of Rotary of Hilton Head Island Club and serves on the Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) Selection Board. He is a former member of the Smithsonian Affiliates Advisory Board and an incoming Council Member for SEMC. Mr. Ward enjoys drawing, watching sports, cooking, sleep (when possible) and fantasy football and he and his wife, Dafina have two brilliant daughters, Masani Ashiya and Aminah Elon.
Excerpts from Ahmad Ward’s nomination letters:
Ahmad stepped into this role (at Historic Mitchelville) and immediately went to work becoming an important leader in the community. Under Ahmad’s leadership, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park has built a social justice education initiative creating space to hear from experts and have diverse community members come together to tackle pressing issues of difference and acceptance. All of this while fundraising from regional and national supporters, running archaeological digs on his site, and drafting a masterplan for a world class interpretive center to be built on this historic site. To say that our community is lucky and proud to have Ahmad Ward leading this initiative is an understatement. All of his actions are rooted in doing what is right to preserve the culture, tell the story authentically, and help all of us learn to be better citizens.
The cultural and heritage organizations on Hilton Head Island have worked in partnership for many years to produce special events, tours and projects that strive to tell an inclusive story of the area’s unique past. Mr. Ward is always willing to collaborate with other organizations toward the goal of reaching as many visitors and residents as possible to share our stories. He brought his expertise to the Mitchelville project and the entire community has benefited from his vision, dedication and skills. His tireless efforts have included working with local and county government
officials to secure funding for the project and support its ambitious goals. His expertise is invaluable to the community! Based on his many accomplishments and continued, dedicated, visible service to our field and to shaping the careers of emerging museum professionals in the southeast through his example, Ahmad Ward is an ideal candidate to receive the SEMC 2021 Leadership Award.
Emerging Museum Professionals Award
Heidi Schureck, Education Facilitator at Fernbank
Museum of Natural History and a Play Facilitator at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta
Initiated in 2007, this award recognizes emerging professionals who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in museum activities at their institutions, within the museum profession, and especially in the southeast region.
Recipient of the 2021 Emerging Museum Professionals Award, Heidi Schureck— they/them/(s) he — is a white, nuerodivergent, documented, queer enby who comes from an upper-middle class family and is living on the ancestral land of the Mvskoke and Tsalaguwetiyi, colonized today as Atlanta, Georgia. They are an Education Facilitator at Fernbank Museum of Natural History and a Play Facilitator at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta with more than five years experience in education, event and visitor services, collections, curation, and community outreach. In 2019, they received their B.A. in Art: Museum Studies and their B.A. in Liberal Studies: Culture, Religion, and Society from Georgia College. They are passionate about the potential of museums to help shape a more just world and are especially interested in queering institutions and connecting through community. Heidi is currently involved with the Georgia LGBTQ+ Histories Project and the Southeastern Museums Conference Equity and Inclusion Action Team, in addition to serving as the Director of Partnerships for the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network and as Co-Chair of the Atlanta Emerging Museum Professionals Chapter.
Excerpts from Heidi Schureck’s nomination letters
I have known Heidi and the quality of their work for several years and have continuously been impressed by their strength of character, and tireless efforts to improve the field as a whole. Heidi has been diligent and proactive in working with the leadership and human resources at the Fernbank Museum to construct opportunities that facilitate conversations and policies around diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion striving towards tangible progress. They acted, and continue to act, as a tireless advocate for colleagues and guests, striving to make their museum a better place to work and visit.
In addition to their work in museums, Heidi has been an advocate for DEAI, and LGBTQ causes across all aspects of museums and their operations. Heidi has worked within Fernbank and with partner entities to provide awareness and greater inclusion within the field. Additionally, they actively participate in the Atlanta Emerging Museum Professionals Group and have engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. Heidi is a member of SEMC’s Equity and Inclusion Action Team, frequently contributing to discussions on the Basecamp platform and providing a myriad of DEAI resources for others to consider. Heidi has attended almost every virtual program SEMC offered since March 2020, actively seeking to increase their knowledge of the field and make new connections. They were a participant in the DEI anti-racism workshop series SEMC offered in June, an experience financed on their own. Additionally, Heidi was featured as SEMC’s first “One to Watch” in November 2020, a program that identifies and recognizes up-and-coming leaders in our field who are enhancing the profession in a special way and working to make a difference in their community through work in a museum.
Heidi Schureck’s video address from 2021 Awards Luncheon
SEMC’s 2021 Exhibition Competition Winners
Under $10,000 Budget Gold: Columbus Museum — And So She Did: Women of the Chattahoochee Valley Silver: Marco Island Historical Society — A Pressing
Matter: Preserving Marco Island’s Flora Bronze: Asheville Art Museum — Meeting the Moon Honorable Mention: Berman Museum — Danger,
Deception, and Disguise
Under $25,000 Budget Gold: Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage —
Soul of the South Silver: Gregg Museum of Art & Design — Stephen
Althouse: Objects of Intention Bronze: Florence County Museum — Kindred Spirit: the Personal Worlds of William H. Johnson
Over $25,000 Budget Gold: Orange County Regional History Center —
Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 Silver: Gregg Museum of Art & Design — All Is
Possible: Mary Ann Scherr’s Legacy in Metal
Over $100,000 Budget Gold: Mississippi Department of Archives and
History — Mississippi Distilled: Prohibition, Piety, and
Politics Honorable Mention: Georgia Museum of Art — Emma
Amos: Color Odyssey Over $100,000,000 Budget Gold: Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience — Core Exhibition | Museum of the Southern Jewish
Experience Silver: Atlanta History Center — Atlanta ’96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City
*DIGITAL EXHIBITION (*new category for 2021!) Gold: Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art — Dis/ placements: Revisitations of Home
Many thanks to the 2021 Exhibition Competition Chair and Judges: Emilie Arnold (chair), Exhibition Developer, Dalton, Georgia; Rebecca Bush, CurCom representative, Curator of History/Exhibitions Manager, The Columbus Museum; Katie Ericson, Senior Manager, School and Volunteer Programs, Michael C. Carlos Museum; Michelle Schulte, Independent Museum Professional, Pensacola, Florida; Madeleine Miller, Exhibit Designer at Mississippi Department of Archives and History
SEMC’s 2021 Publication Competition Winners
BEST IN SHOW Emma Amos: Color Odyssey, Georgia Museum of Art,
University of Georgia
ANNUAL REPORTS Gold: Gibbes Museum of Art
Best in Show and Gold in Books & Catalogues: Emma Amos: Color Odyssey, Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia
Silver: Florida Museum of Natural History Bronze: LSU Museum of Art
BOOKS & CATALOGUES Gold: Emma Amos: Color Odyssey, Georgia Museum
of Art, University of Georgia
Silver: Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in
Reconstruction Louisiana, The Historic New Orleans
Collection
Bronze: Cajun Document: Acadiana, 1973-74, The
Historic New Orleans Collection
BROCHURES & RACK CARDS Gold: Membership Brochure,
Marco Island Historical Society
Silver: Whitman, Alabama, Georgia Museum of Art Bronze: How Can I Help Turtles?, Cook Museum of
Natural Science
Honorable Mention: Membership Brochure,
Marco Island Historical Society
CAMPAIGNS Gold: Museum Discovery Quest, Customs House
Museum and Cultural Center
Annual Reports Gold: Gibbes Museum of Art
Silver: L’Amour du Vin Auction & Dinner, Knoxville
Museum of Art
Bronze: All About Her/Him Events Campaign, Cook
Museum of Natural Science
Honorable Mention: Power, Passion & Pose: Photographs by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory Exhibition
Campaign, Hunter Museum of American Art
GALLERY GUIDES Gold: Family Guide, Asheville Art Museum Silver: Gallery Guide: Self-guided Tour Guides and
Museum Hunt, Hunter Museum of American Art Bronze: Social Story & Visual Vocabulary, Cook
Museum of Natural Science
INVITATIONS Gold: WJS Garden Party Invitation, Telfair Museums Silver: Under the Big Top, Marco Island Historical
Society
Bronze: 2020 Exhibitions, Hunter Museum of
American Art
MAGAZINES & NEWSLETTERS Gold: Willam Jay Society Garden Party Invitation,
Telfair Museums
Brohures & Rack Cards Gold: Marco Island Historical Society
Campaigns Gold: Customs House Museum and Cultural Center
Gallery Guides Gold: Asheville Art Museum Invitations Gold: Telfair Museums
Magazines & Newsletters Gold: Georgia Museum of Art
Silver: Under the Big Top, Marco Island Historical
Society
Bronze: 2020 Exhibitions, Hunter Museum of
American Art
MAILERS & CALENDARS Gold: LCVA Seasonal Series Mailer, Longwood Center
for the Visual Arts, Longwood University
Silver: Art View Spring 2021, Hunter Museum of
American Art
Bronze: Upcoming Events Calendar Series, Cook
Museum of Natural Science
POSTERS Gold: Welcome Back Poster, Cook Museum of
Natural Science
Silver: Jazz in June, Customs House Museum &
Cultural Center
Bronze: What is Color?, Cook Museum of Natural
Science
Many thanks to the 2021 Publication Competition
Chair and Judges: Cara McGowan (chair), Director of Marketing & Communications, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Nicole Brown, Chattanooga, TN; Brian May, Chattanooga, TN; Jeffrey Morton, Chattanooga, TN
Mailers & Calendars Gold: Longwood Center for the Visual Arts
SEMC’s 2021 Technology Competition Winners
Did you miss the October 2021 Virtual Technology Showcase which featured projects from Technology Competition GOLD Winners? No worries! We’ll have the recording available from the virtual session at SEMC2021 soon!
APPLICATIONS Silver: Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage —
Xplore Morris Center
Posters Gold: Cook Museum of Natural Science
Bronze: Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center — Explore Helen and Sautee Nacoochee Phone App
CAMPAIGN Gold: Wiregrass Museum of Art — House Party for
Art Silver: Customs House Museum and Cultural
Center — Grand Illumination
DIGITAL EDUCATION Gold: Boston Productions, Inc. — Western Writers of America: Packing the West Silver: Shiloh Museum of Ozark History — Native
American Days Program & Resources for Educators & Students Bronze: Asheville Art Museum — Summer Camp to Go! Honorable Mention: Telfair Museums — Picasso to
Hockney Educator Guide Honorable Mention: Georgia Museum of Art — Virtual 5th Grade Tours
DIGITAL MARKETING Gold: Gregg Museum of Art and Design — Fantastic
Fans: The Collection of Emma Hanford Smith Silver: Atlanta History Center — Website
GALLERY INSTALLATIONS Gold: Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience — Community Quilt Interactive Silver: Orange County Regional History Center —
Deeds Map - Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee
Massacre of 1920 Bronze: Boston Productions Inc. — Tennessee State
Library & Archives Touch Interactive Experiences Honorable Mention: Customs House Museum and
Cultural Center — In-Museum Digital Marketing
Screens
MEDIA PRODUCTION Gold: Orange County Regional History Center —
Oral History Animation - Yesterday, This Was Home:
The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 Silver: Asheville Art Museum — Asheville Art
Museum smARTguide Bronze: Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience — Orientation Film: Museum of the Southern Jewish
Experience Honorable Mention: Shiloh Museum of Ozark History — Shiloh Shout-Out video series
STUDENT PROJECTS Gold: Asheville Art Museum — NEH Cares Videos
Many thanks to the 2021 Technology Competition
Chairs and Judges: Scott Warren (chair), Historic Site Manager II, President James K. Polk State Historic Site, Pineville, North Carolina ; Scotty Almany, Digital Media, Programming & Exhibit Logistics Manager, Birthplace of Country Music; Alexander Brooks, Education Manager, Gaston County Museum, Dallas, North Carolina
SEMC’s 2021 SWIM Competition Winners
University students throughout our region are engaged in challenging and important work in southeastern museums. They are doing research, producing exhibits, conducting oral history interviews, creating content for websites, and developing public programs. SEMC is committed to recognizing and rewarding excellence in museum work done by students through the annual Spotlight on Student Work in Museums (SWIM) Awards. Many thanks to the 2021 Student Work in Museums Co-Chairs: Pam Meister, Director, Mountain Heritage Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina; Patricia A. Hobbs , Senior Curator of Art Museums at W&L, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.
Student: Casey Landolf Project title: Moravian Mornings: A Historic Bethabara Park Podcast School: University of North Carolina
Student: Carly Payne Project title: Historic Hauntings in North Georgia School: University of North Georgia
Students: Riva Cullinan, Hope Chandler, Elissa Lisle, Caitlyn White, A. René Thompson, Manasar Alharethi, Emily McKenzie Project title: Weaving Muscogee Creek Culture: The Artistry of Mary Smith School: University of Alabama
Student: Lizzy Sparks Project title: Secrets of the Oldest City: LGBT+ History in St. Augustine, Florida School: Ohio State University
Student: Bailey Lawrence Project title: Professionalism and Transformation of the Highlands Historical Society School: Western Carolina University Student: Harliana Burns Project title: A Journal from Captivity: A Day in the Life at Camp Lawrenceburg School: Middle Tennessee State University
Student: Shira Zaid Project title: Memory Through Mountain Ranges: Preserving Asheville Artists’ Geographic Identity School: Smith College
