NEWS

Knoxville Museum of Art Receives Southeastern Museums Conference Publication Award

October 5, 2021

Knoxville Museum of Art received a Silver Award for Publication in the Campaigns Category in recognition of the L’Amour du Vin 2021 publication.

Knoxville Museum of Art is pleased to announce they are a recipient of the 2021 Southeastern Museums Conference Silver Award for Publication in the Campaigns Category for the L’Amour du Vin 2021 publication. The SEMC Publication Design Competition showcases the best in our profession and provides benchmarks for regional publication efforts in southeastern museums.

2021 marked the 18th year of L’Amour du Vin,  the Knoxville Museum of Art’s primary fundraising event and one of Knoxville’s most eagerly-anticipated evenings. Each year a winery, chef, and artist are featured. All funds raised benefit the museum. Events preceding the wine auction and dinner include an Artist’s Luncheon and Vintner Dinner. Invitations and programs were designed in-house by Carla May Paré, KMA’s Director of Fundraising Events, and featured the works of contemporary interdisciplinary artist, Crystal Wagner.

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 depth of scholarship. Expectations and standards were exceptionally high for this year’s applicants. The 2021 SEMC Publication Design Competition received a record-breaking number of 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 2021 Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony on October 27, 2021, in Chattanooga, Tennessee as well as in the Fall 2021 Edition of INSIDE SEMC, a digital publication of the Southeastern Museums Conference. This designation recognizes Knoxville Museum of Art’s contribution to professional standards in Southeastern museums.

About 2021 Featured Artist, Crystal Wagner:

A graduate of the University of Tennessee’s printmaking program, Wagner specializes in sprawling organic forms that combine elements of printing, drawing, and sculptural installation. Recently she has focused on producing series of unique sculptural prints contained within elongated boxes that make reference to the natural world-especially undersea life. Aphotic refers to the portion of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight and in which bioluminescence is the only light present.

Crystal Wagner, Nox Illum, 2018. Screen-printed archival paper, wood, wire, paint, 24x27x12 inches.
Crystal Wagner, Vexo, 2018. Screen-printed archival paper, wood, wire, paint, 33x32x15 inches.
Crystal Wagner, Lux Tennebris, 2018. Screen-printed archival paper, wood, wire, paint, 39x28x18 inches.

Facebook: @contemporaryartistcrystalwagner
Instagram: @artistcrystalwagner

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 States 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/.