November 23, 2021
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has awarded Hennepin History magazine, published by Hennepin History Museum (HHM), an honorable mention in its annual Publication Design Competition, Magazines/Scholarly category, for 2020. AAM has been recognizing excellence in print media for more than 30 years, hallmarking creativity, innovation, and ingenuity and this is the second time in three years Hennepin History has received this coveted recognition.
The 2020 competition included a total of 150 submissions in five categories from museums and cultural institutions in the U.S. and internationally. Categories included Exhibition Catalogues, Books, Newsletters and Calendars of Events, as well as Magazines/Scholarly Journals. First Prize in the category of Magazines/Scholarly Journals went to the Cincinnati Art Museum with Second Prize going to the Rhode Island Historical Society. Other organizations receiving Honorable Mentions included Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the White House Historical Association.
Hennepin History magazine documents the people, places, sites, memories, and flavors of Hennepin County history. Editor Linda Koutsky explains that Hennepin History wouldn’t exist without the tremendous work and continuous generosity of its contributing writers, who not only choose stories that are historically interesting, but visually rich as well. “It’s their persistence in tracking down research, conducting interviews, and finding sources for images that results in articles that entertain and enlighten readers of all ages and interests,” Koutsky said. HHM Executive Director, John Crippen noted that this recognition from AAM is a great endorsement of Koutsky’s direction for the magazine which began in 2017. “Our members regularly tell us how much then enjoy Hennepin History,” he added, “and it is great to hear it from our professional colleagues as well.”
AAM has been helping museums develop standards and best practices through gathering and sharing knowledge since 1906. Located in Arlington, VA, AAM also provides advocacy on issue of concern to the museum community for more than 35,000 museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field.