Washington, DC, 4/24/2007 -

The American Association of Museum (AAM) is pleased to announce that the public television documentary Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Years of Museums in America has been awarded a platinum Aurora statuette. Based on the book by Marjorie Schwarzer, Riches, Rivals and Radicals was produced by GREAT MUSEUMS® television in association with AAM to celebrate the Year of the Museum and AAM's centennial in 2006. The film takes viewers on an odyssey filled with the commanding and charismatic characters who shaped America's museum community as it is today.

 

“During the past century, U.S. museums have transformed themselves into cultural landmarks of our society; institutions that educate, inspire, and lead their communities,” said Kim Igoe, Interim President & CEO of AAM. “The fascinating, fun, and delightful stories told in Riches, Rivals and Radicals remind us all just how much museums matter in our lives."

 

The Aurora Awards is an international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. It specifically targets products, programs and commercials that would not normally have the opportunity to compete on a national level. Competitors come from independent, corporate, and freelance production groups; advertising agencies and broadcast stations large and small in the U.S. and around the world.

 

The Aurora Platinum Best in Show is the highest honor given. A complete list of the 2007 award winners will be available in the coming weeks at www.auroraawards.com.

 

Great Museums®, an award-winning television series celebrating America’s museum community, is distributed by Boston-based American Public Television and underwritten by the Eureka Foundation. Great Museums airs coast to coast on public television stations representing 85 percent of U.S. households.

 

 “Our museums reflect who we were, who we are, and who we hope to be,” said GREAT MUSEUMS® executive producer Marc Doyle, a three-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of television’s prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.   “In a sense, museums hold the DNA of the American identity.”

 

The DVD of Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Year of Museums in America and the companion book are available through the AAM Bookstore or by calling toll free 1-877-AAM-3034. Additional copies will be on sale at the 2007 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo™ at McCormick Place in Chicago, May 13-17.

 

 

About AAM

The American Association of Museums (AAM) has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

 

 

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