Baton Rouge, Louisiana– The LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) is honored and pleased to announce it has received awards in the 2022 Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) Exhibition and Publication Competitions. This annual competition is open to museums in the southeastern region to submit exhibition and publication projects for review of merit.

2022 Exhibition Competition

• The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection has been selected for the Bronze Award in the Under $25,000 budget category.

2022 Publication Competition

• Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection Campaign (includes catalogue, invitation, and other designed marketing collateral) has been awarded a Gold Medal in the Campaigns category

• Art Talk Newsletter has been awarded an Honorable Mention in the Magazines & Newsletters category

LSU MOA received a Bronze Award in the under $25,000 budget exhibition category for the exhibition The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection. Inspired by the visiting artist tradition, The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection presented the energy and legacy of ceramics demonstrations through bisqueware. Included in this exhibition were over 200 bisque works that provide a valued resource for LSU School of Art’s top-ten ranked ceramics program. The ever-growing collection was displayed at LSU MOA to imitate the classroom use of the boneyard. The “boneyard” refers to the unique display on bisque works on high shelves in the studio, showcasing a variety of techniques, improvisation, and skill. Faculty and instructors pull bisque objects from the shelves in order to highlight specific techniques and attributes of form. This exhibition also featured rotating displays and a demonstration space activated by MFA students, local artists, and visiting artists allowing museum visitors to share in the boneyard tradition—to watch clay transform and to see artist-specific techniques shared in the openness of the craft tradition. The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection was a collaboration between LSU Museum of Art and LSU School of Art and was curated by LSU Ceramics Associate Professor Andy Shaw, former LSU MOA Curator and Director of Programs Courtney Taylor, and former LSU MOA Educator and Manager of Public Programs Grant Benoit. This project was made possible only thanks to the coordination, design, and creativity of many contributors, chief among these are Olivia Peltier, Jordan Hess, Sarah Amacker, Travis Pickett, Kyle Peruch, Kyra Jackson, Mark Shumake, Clarke Brown, exhibition photography by Charles Champagne, and Rod Parker as well as the many artists who generously agreed to have their work included in this unconventional project and/or demonstrated in the galleries. Click here to learn more about this exhibition.

For many visitors, exhibitions are the public face of museums, and effective planning, management of resources, research and interpretation, collections care, public programs, publications, and fundraising all contribute to the fulfillment of a museum's mission. The SEMC Exhibition Competition recognizes exhibitions for overall excellence or for stretching the limits of content and design through innovation. Winning entries were well-designed exhibitions of merit with educational value and demonstrated, respectful treatment of objects. Recipients of the awards were judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in curatorial studies and exhibition design.

LSU MOA also received awards in the 2022 SEMC Publication Competition: Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection Campaign (includes catalogue, invitation, and other designed marketing collateral) received a Gold Medal in the Campaigns category and the Art Talk Newsletter was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Magazines & Newsletters category. These projects were designed by LSU MOA Marketing and Communications Specialist Sarah Amacker. Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection Campaign included a catalogue, print advertisements, exhibition announcements, digital advertisements, Art Talk newsletter features, banners and signage, flyers, and other promotional materials including social media posts that marketed the exhibition during its time at LSU MOA. LSU MOA‘s Art Talk publication is printed quarterly to showcase current and upcoming exhibitions, programs, community initiatives, and other museum announcements. This publication is printed and mailed out to museum members and available to the public for free when they visit the museum.

Museum publications can play a vital role in an institution’s educational mission, documenting exhibitions and collections through high-quality design and production and showcasing the depth of scholarship. The 2022 SEMC Publication Design Competition received applications from a wide variety of museums across the southeast. The SEMC Publication Design Competition recognizes and rewards excellence in graphic design in Southeastern museum publications. The competition encourages communication, effective design, creativity and pride of work, and recognition of institutional image and identity. Recipients of the awards were judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in graphic design.

Award winners will be celebrated at the 2022 Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony on October 26, 2022, in Rogers, Arkansas as well as in the Fall 2022 Edition of INSIDE SEMC, a digital publication of the Southeastern Museums Conference. This designation recognizes LSU Museum of Art’s contribution to professional standards in Southeastern museums.

Thank you LSU MOA sponsors and donors: LSU MOA thanks the following patrons for making the Form & Fire collection catalogue possible: Partner Sponsors Catherine Burns Tremaine, Becky and Warren Gottsegen, and E. John Bullard; Presenting Sponsors: Robert and Linda Bowsher; and Supporters Debbie de La Houssaye and Lake Douglas, and Brian and Jacki Schneider. Additional support is provided by generous donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund: Louisiana CAT; The Imo N. Brown Memorial Fund in memory of Heidel Brown and Mary Ann Brown; The Alma Lee, H. N., and Cary Saurage Fund; Charles "Chuck" Edward Schwing; Robert and Linda Bowsher; Becky and Warren Gottsegen; LSU College of Art + Design; Mr. and Mrs. Sanford A. Arst; and The Newton B. Thomas Family/Newtron Group Fund.

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ABOUT LSU MUSEUM OF ART
LSU Museum of Art seeks to enrich and inspire through collections, exhibitions, conservation, and education, serving as a cultural and intellectual resource for the University, Baton Rouge, and beyond.

LSU Museum of Art is supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President and Metro Council. Additional support is provided by generous donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund, members, and community partners. Supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Art Bridges and Junior League of Baton Rouge. Thank you to the following sponsors of Free Friday Nights and Free First Sundays at LSU MOA: Louisiana Lottery Corporation and IBERIABANK, a division of First Horizon, for sponsoring free admission and Louisiana CAT for sponsoring programming.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The museum is located in downtown Baton Rouge at 100 Lafayette Street on the Fifth Floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts. General admission is $5 each for adults and children age 13 and over. Admission is free to university faculty and students with ID, children age 12 and under, and museum members. Active duty military members, first responders, and their families receive free admission with ID as part of the Blue Star Museums program. Valid during normal operation hours, show your EBT card and photo ID at the admissions desk and receive free admission for up to 4 individuals. Come back anytime, there’s no limit to how often you can visit through Museums for All. Museum Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.; and closed on Mondays and major holidays. Free admission occurs on the first Sunday of each month and every Friday night from 5-8 p.m. For more information: visit www.lsumoa.org, call 225-389-7200, and follow the museum on social media @lsumoa for exhibition and program updates.

ABOUT THE SOUTHEASTERN MUSEUMS CONFERENCE:

The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC), a nonprofit membership organization, is an association of museums, museum staff, independent professionals and corporate partners. We focus on the Southeastern United State including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.

SEMC works to:

•  Provide educational and professional development opportunities

• Improve the interchange of ideas and information

• Encourage respect and collegiality

The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming conference experience for everyone. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form. For more information about the Southeastern Museums Conference, visit https://www.semcdirect.net/.