For Immediate Release: 8/14/2012
Contact:
Kathy Dickson,
MPMA Awards Chair
405-522-5231
kdickson@okhistory.org
Monta Lee Dakin
MPMA Executive Director
303-979-9358
mountplains@aol.com
The Mountain-Plains Museums Association (MPMA) is pleased to announce the recipients of
the 2012 MPMA Awards. Established in 1953, MPMA is a regional museum association that
provides services to museum professionals in ten states: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska,
New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. MPMA is one of six
regional associations in the United States that work in conjunction with the American
Association of Museums.
Arthur H. Wolf has been selected to receive the Hugo G. Rodeck Award for Excellence. Named
for one of the founders of MPMA, the Rodeck Award recognizes an individual member of
MPMA who has contributed significant service to the museum field within the MPMA region
and to MPMA. It is given infrequently and only in recognition of long and very distinguished
service. Recipients are noted for their contributions to the field of state, provincial, and local
history, art, anthropology or natural history, and are recognized nationally as leaders in the
profession.
Art Wolf is currently the principal of Wolf Consulting based in Las Vegas, Nevada, but over his
museum career he has worked in many museums in the mountain-plains region and continues
to support the MPMA region. He has been an active supporter of excellence within the general
museum field throughout his career, participating in the American Association of Museum’s
then new accreditation program in 1985 and continuing his involvement with the program to
this day. He served as a member of the Accreditation Commission from 1997 through 2003,
helping to establish guidelines for Museum Standards and Best Practices. He has served as an
effective participant in Museum Advocacy Day for many years on behalf of MPMA and the
broader museum community. According to Ford Bell, the President of the American
Association of Museums, “Art has a special dedication to what we call ‘emerging museum
professionals.’ He has gone out of his way to support those who are finding their way in our
field, and was an early participant in the American Association of Museums’ Online Mentoring
Program.” Art has been especially supportive of emerging museum professionals in tribal
museums and has funded scholarships to make it possible for many to attend the annual
MPMA conference to continue their professional development.
This year two institutions were selected to receive the Leadership and Innovation Award:
History Colorado and Boulder History Museum. The projects and institutions are very different:
one a large institution, the other a small historical society. Both are excellent examples of
leadership and community involvement.
In 2008 the Colorado History Museum received notice that it must move from its existing
building. From this starting point the staff and board came together to reinvent the
organization from the ground up. The museum closed in 2010 and reopened in a new facility in
April 2012. During this short period of time the museum staff reached out to the community to
reexamine the organization, raise capital funds, and develop the exhibition plan. Moving also
necessitated that all the collections had to be cataloged, packed, and moved. During the
process over 3,500 Coloradans were interviewed to gauge their interest and their
understanding of Colorado’s history and to discover the most engaging ways to tell the state’s
stories. The new 200,000 square foot, $110.8 million facility is complete, and the new exhibits
offer layered stories providing information for families, history buffs, tourists, and students.
The Boulder History Museum was selected to receive the Leadership and Innovation Award for
the exhibit Chief Niwot: Legend and Legacy. The awards committee felt the Boulder History
Museum’s treatment of the exhibit was an excellent example of community involvement and
creating relevance between a historical topic and modern day.
The Boulder History Museum is located in a small historic building, but the size of the building
did not limit the scope of its project. The museum’s exhibit on Chief Left Hand is a pillar
program in a collaborative effort between arts and civic organizations called One Action-One
Boulder/Niwot’s Arrow. One Action-One Boulder/Niwot’ Arrow inspires people to learn about
local history, hold discussions, and take an action to create a stronger and more equitable
Boulder. Collaborating organizations include the Boulder Public Library, the Native American
Rights Fund, and Motus Theater. The library is sponsoring a reading program called One Book,
One Boulder on Chief Niwot’s biography by Margaret Coel. Motus Theater will be offering an
improvisational theater performance called Reflections on Chief Niwot which is built from and
responds to people’s experiences of attending the Boulder History Museum Exhibit and reading
Coel’s biography. The museum is also working with the Native American Rights Fund on a
lecture series to deepen people’s understanding of local history as it relates to the Arapaho and
Chief Left Hand. The result is a deeply educational exhibit that asks profound questions about
local history and community.
MPMA President Joe Schenk will announce the awards which will be presented during the
association’s annual conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, October 1-5.