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PRESS RELEASE CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER PRESS CONTACTS: Elizabeth Pierce (513) 368-2139 or epierce@cincymuseum.org; Tabari McCoy (513) 373-6592 or tmccoy@cincymseum.org IMLS PRESS CONTACTS: (202) 653-4632; Jeannine Mjoseth or jmjoseth@imls.gov; Mamie Bittner or mbittner@imls.gov Cincinnati Museum Center Receives Nation’s Highest Award for Community Service Mayor Mallory & William Mallory Sr., will help unveil award banner at 10 a.m., Oct. 6 in Union Terminal Rotunda CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal has been named one of 10 recipients of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries. The annual award, made by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) since 1994, recognizes institutions for outstanding social, educational, environmental, or economic contributions to their communities. Cincinnati Museum Center will receive the National Medal at a ceremony to be held later in Washington, D.C., and a $10,000 award in recognition of their extraordinary contributions. “Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a successful cultural experiment—a national model of excellence,” says Douglass W. McDonald, president and CEO. “We are the incredible result of merging legacy institutions, a children’s museum, and an OMNIMAX theatre that breathed life back into a National Historic Landmark. This award is a tribute to our staff, trustees, donors, members, volunteers and community partners whose unwavering dedication to our mission and innovative efforts has made us a unique asset and a vital community resource.” “Every day, Cincinnati Museum Center makes a real difference in their community,” said IMLS Director Anne-Imelda M. Radice. “Their exemplary programs respond to community challenges, positively impact people’s lives, and serve as models for the nation’s museums. I applaud their outstanding efforts and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.” U.S. presidents and young children alike have been awestruck at the grandeur and beauty of Cincinnati Museum Center’s iconic home — Cincinnati Union Terminal. Since its 1933 opening, Union Terminal has welcomed more than 150 million visitors. As the home of Cincinnati Museum Center since 1990, visitors now are encouraged to share dialogue, become lifelong learners and develop insights. “I have long loved Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, and remember when the Cincinnati Museum Center was created to occupy the magnificent Art Deco icon of Cincinnati,” said U.S. Senator George Voinovich. “What a fabulous journey that Cincinnati Museum Center has had from those early days after the merger of the Cincinnati Historical Society and Natural History Museum, to now serving more than 1.3 million visitors each year! I just visited the Museum Center in April and was particularly impressed. The Center is a phenomenal asset to the community, helping the region’s students better appreciate and understand science and its role in the world around them. This IMLS award is icing on the cake for an institution that so many Cincinnatians know and love.” As one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest, Cincinnati Museum Center features the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theatre and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library & Archives, the Geier Family Collections & Research Center, and the Richard & Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve — 14,000 acres of biologically diverse, privately owned and protected nature system managed jointly with The Nature Conservancy, Ohio. Recognized recently by Forbes Traveler as the 17th most visited museum in the nation, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors annually and reaches out to nearly 400,000 young people through hands-on programs and learning experiences. As a key regional and national destination, CMC brings $15 million in new money to the region and supports 1,100 jobs. “In addition to playing a vital role promoting greater Cincinnati’s culture and preserving our community’s history, the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a world-class institution that gives us tremendous pride,” said U.S. Representative Steve Driehaus. He further added, “With its contributions to our region, the Museum Center has certainly merited this recognition with the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. I want to congratulate the Museum Center, and I’m confident that this institution will remain an icon of Cincinnati for years to come.” A key element of Cincinnati Museum Center’s community and mission success is its youth leadership program. Since 1989, the youth program connects high schools students from diverse backgrounds as museum interpreters, providing jobs, life-skills training, college preparation, and a sense of family and self-confidence. More than 1,500 students have participated in this in-depth program that celebrates a 100 percent high school graduation rate, 99 percent college enrollment rate and 90 percent scholarship recipient rate. Community dialogue and understanding is further sparked through relevant and thought-provoking exhibits and programs. Cincinnati Museum Center presents a steady stream of exhibits, lectures and hands-on programs: From an exhibit assembled in just 90 days in 2001 in response to community violence (Civil Unrest in Cincinnati, Voices of our Community, 2001); to artifacts from the Vatican (Saint Peter & the Vatican; Legacy of the Popes, 2004); to the real story of a slave ship commandeered by pirates (Real Pirates; The Untold Story of the Whydah, from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship, 2007). Other Exhibits also include an unprecedented look inside the human body (BODIES…The Exhibition, 2008); the celebration of women who ignited the fire of the civil rights movement (Freedom’s Sisters, 2008); newly-discovered feathered fossils (Dinosaurs Unearthed, 2009) and the imprint of 400 years of African American contributions (America I Am, 2009 and opening in Cincinnati 2010). As Marie Dornbusch, a Cincinnati public school teacher wrote, “…I bring students from all academic levels, abilities, and economic backgrounds. We all leave awe inspired and fueled to learn more about our world and all in it.” Insight is made accessible not only through presentations at our Union Terminal home, but through the world of technology. More than 25,000 pages of historical content are now available via Cincinnati Museum Center’s Digital Journals and online exhibits and resource guides generating 70,000 visitor sessions in 2008. For example, The Guide to 20th Century African American Resources at the Cincinnati Historical Society Library is a preliminary research tool to help uncover the important part played by African Americans in Greater Cincinnati’s history. The Guide covers selected 20th century resources held by the Cincinnati Historical Society Library dealing with African Americans in the Greater Cincinnati area. New for 2009; Lincoln Originals at Cincinnati Museum Center is an online exhibition to commemorate the life and career of Abraham Lincoln. The exhibition features digital scans of primary historical documents in Abraham Lincoln's hand, or signed by him, drawn from the diverse manuscript holdings at Cincinnati Museum Center. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown shared, “I’m pleased to join in celebrating Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal as the 2009 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service Award. The museum’s resources serve as a window into our history as city, state, and nation. I’m proud to recognize Cincinnati Museum Center’s outstanding contribution to the cultural education and inspiration of the Greater Cincinnati Community.” Cincinnati Museum Center is a one-of-a-kind, multi-museum complex housed in a National Historic Landmark, Art Deco train station. Union Terminal is an incomparable building and the most significant and greatest artifact in the collection. This beloved historic venue has dramatically impacted and served the Cincinnati community for years. CMC’s long term vision of community outreach is centered on an ambitious plan to restore and repair Union Terminal, infusing modern science into the designs and further using the icon as a teaching tool, a transportation hub, an economic engine, a community center. In addition to Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, other recipients
of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service are the: To view nomination information, please go to www.imls.gov/medals. The deadline for 2010 nominations is February 16, 2010. ### Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration. As one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest, Cincinnati Museum Center has served as an educational, research and entertainment resource to millions of visitors from around the world. Organizations within Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. These organizations combine to serve more than one million visitors annually, reaching out to nearly 400,000 young people through hands-on exhibits and programs. Originally built in 1933 as a train station,Union Terminal stands as one of the last remaining grand-scale Art Deco style railroad terminals. The building is a National Historic Landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990.For information, call 1-800-733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org. Cincinnati Museum Center gratefully acknowledges operating and capital
support from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation,
the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the State of Ohio.
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