The Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) has announced its annual Awards for Excellence in the categories of museum Catalogues, Articles/Essays, and Exhibitions. All AAMC members are eligible for nomination. The AAMC Prize Committee and member juror groups determine awards prior to the AAMC’s Annual Conference and Meeting in May. New to this year’s vetting process, the categories of Awards for Exhibitions and Catalogues were subdivided based on the operating budgets of the members’ museums.

"We were impressed by the quality and depth of the nominations,” says Judith Pineiro, Executive Director of the Association of Art Museum Curators, "It is wonderful that our new selection process allowed for celebrating the outstanding work of so many curators.”

Awards were given to curators working in a wide array of fields and mediums, including African, Southeast Asian, Native American, 14th-17th Century, 19th Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art; Photography; Paintings; Sculpture; and Drawings. In addition, these achievements were accomplished in a variety of settings, from university museums to the digital realm.

“I was honored to oversee the review process and awed by the time and consideration each juror and committee member devoted to thoroughly and thoughtfully reviewing the submissions. “ said Prize Committee Chair, Judith F. Dolkart, AAMC Board of Trustees and Deputy Director of Art and Archival Collections and Gund Family Chief Curator at The Barnes Foundation. “Choosing just one Awardee in each category is a difficult process, and I’m so proud that we were able to acknowledge the important work of so many colleagues.”

The awards were formally announced at the annual AAMC Conference on May 5, 2014 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. A full listing of Awardees follows.

2013 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

First Place

Charles Marville: Hidden in Plain Sight by Sarah Kennel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Honorable Mention

Delacroix and the Matter of Finish by Eik Kahng, Santa Barbara Museum of Art

EXHIBITION CATALOGUES

Museums with an operating budget under $4M

First Place

The Polaroid Years: Instant Photography and Experimentation by Mary-Kay Lombino and Peter Buse, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York

Honorable Mention

Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George by Erin B. Coe, Gwendolyn Owens, and Bruce Robertson, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York

Museums with an operating budget between $4–20M

First Place

Yoga: The Art of Transformation by Debra Diamond, et al., Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington

Honorable Mention

Picturing Power: Portraiture and Its Uses in The New York Chamber of Commerce, by Karl Kusserow, Elizabeth Blackmar, Paul Staiti, et al., Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey

Museums with an operating budgets over $20M

First Place

Hopper Drawing by Carter E. Foster, Daniel S. Palmer, Nicholas Robbins, et al., Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Honorable Mention (TIE)

German Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1350-1600 by Maryan W. Ainsworth and Joshua P. Waterman, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Rauschenberg Research Project by Sarah Roberts, Nicholas Cullinan, Susan Davidson, et al., at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California.

EXHIBITIONS

Museums with an operating budget under $4M

First Place (TIE)

An Errant Line: Ann Hamilton/Cynthia Schira, curated by Susan Earle, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Encounters: The Arts of Africa, curated by Allyson Purpura, Krannert Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

Honorable Mention

More Love: Art, Politics, and Sharing since the 1990s, curated by Claire Schneider, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Museums with an operating budget between $4-20M

First Place

Yoga: The Art of Transformation, curated by Debra Diamond, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington

Honorable Mention

Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey, curated by Trevor Schoonmaker, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Museums with an operating budgets over $20M

First Place

Red, White + Bold: Masterworks of Navajo Design, 1840 – 1870, curated by Nancy J. Blomberg, Denver Art Museum, Colorado