The Museum Education Roundtable is pleased and proud to announce the 2017 recipients of its inaugural Awards for Writing Excellence and Editorial Excellence for the Journal of Museum Education. All awardees are recognized for their high levels of scholarly dedication, original thought, leadership, and synthesis required to be published in the JME.

Melanie Adams, a member of the AASLH Council, has received the Award for Writing Excellence for her individual article, “Deconstructing Systems of Bias in the Museum Field Using Critical Race Theory”, in issue 42.3 of the JME. This article discusses the basic tenets of Critical Race Theory, and applies them to museum case studies to highlight museum practices that de-center white normativity, center and honor the work of people of color in the arts, and work towards dismantling racism in exhibitions and programs. Anna Forgerson Hindley and Julie Olson Edwards have received the Award for Writing Excellence for their guest edited article “Early Childhood and Racial Identity,” in issue 42.1 of the JME. This article examines how the National Museum of African American History and Culture approaches conversations on race with young children and their families and teachers. Esther Washington and Anna Forgerson Hindley have received the Award for Editorial Excellence for their work guest editing issue 42.1 of the JME. Their guest-edited issue “focused on the knowledge that race is a social construct that has a powerful and lasting impact on society, and how the renewed national discourse about race has impacted and will continue to impact the work of our museum and others.”

The Award for Writing Excellence goes to the author(s) of the articles deemed by members of the Museum Education Roundtable board to be novel, thought-provoking, and of the highest caliber of scholarship and writing. Any article accepted for publication and published within a calendar year is automatically eligible for consideration for the Award for Writing Excellence. The Award for Editorial Excellence goes to the guest editor(s) of the themed issue from which the Writing Excellence article was chosen. Any guest editor or guest editorial team is automatically eligible for consideration for the Award for Editorial Excellence.

Read more about the awardees in the Museum Education Roundtable March blog post.