Council for Museum Anthropology (CMA) – Two awards available – Deadline Aug. 31
Rosanna,
If you have students in your program traveling to the AAA meetings this year to present a poster or paper, I strongly encourage them to apply for one of our student travel awards.
Thank you very much,
Gwen Saul
CMA Awards
The Council for Museum Anthropology (CMA) recognizes innovative and influential contributions to the field of museum anthropology! Awards are recognized at the CMA’s annual AAA Reception.
Michael M. Ames Award for Innovative Museum Anthropology Lifetime Achievement/Distinguished Service Award Student Travel Awards ($500 toward Meeting travel)
Apply or nominate now! Awards are due August 31st
All CMA award applications and nominations must be submitted via email to all three members of the Awards Committee:
Gwendolyn Saul (Chair)<Gwendolyn.saul@nysed.gov> W. Warner Wood <woodw@uwm.edu> Karl Hoerig<khoerig@fortapachearizona.org>
Full descriptions of each award are below. For more on our awards and to see past recipients, check out our website: https://museumanthropology.org/cma-awards/
Michael M. Ames Award, EXTENDED to August 31st, 2017
The CMA Michael M. Ames Prize for Innovative Museum Anthropology is awarded to individuals for innovative work in museum anthropology. Examples include: outstanding single or multi-authored books or published catalogues; temporary or permanent exhibits; repatriation projects; collaborations with descendant communities; educational or outreach projects; multimedia works, and other endeavors. Individuals can be nominated by any member of CMA (self-nominations are not permitted).
Nomination packets must include a cover letter and evidence of the work under consideration (e.g., photographs, catalogues, links to websites, etc.), and supporting materials (e.g., letters of support, media coverage, etc.). All material must be submitted as digital data (Word documents, pdf files and/or jpg files). The nomination packet should not exceed 5 pages.
Evaluation Criteria: 1) Creativity: Is the project a unique and creative exploration of museum anthropology’s central themes, tensions, and histories? 2) Timeliness: Does the project say something important about museum anthropology’s current predicaments and unknown future? 3) Depth: In what ways does the project penetrate into the complexity of material culture and the study of it through novel methods and theories? 4) Impact: Does the project have the potential to make broad and lasting impacts in museum anthropology?
Ames Award recipients will be presented with a gift from CMA and a certificate of the award.
Lifetime Achievement/Distinguished Service Award, EXTENDED to August 31, 2017
The CMA Board recently instituted a new Lifetime Achievement/Distinguished Service Award to recognize CMA members whose careers demonstrate extraordinary achievements that have advanced museum anthropology. These achievements might include: collections work, community collaborations, exhibitions, publications, public programming and outreach, teaching, policy development, etc. While many anthropologists distinguish themselves through their works, this award is meant to single out those who, over the course of their careers, have truly helped to define and or reshape the field of anthropology in and of museums. Nominees are expected to have spent at least 20 years working in the field of museum anthropology.
Nomination packets must include: a two-page letter of recommendation in support of the nominee; and any additional supporting materials deemed relevant by the nominator (e.g., nominee’s C.V., other supporting letters). The letter should provide a contextual summary of the nominee’s signature accomplishments, and it should demonstrate the nominee’s qualifications. The nomination packet should not exceed 5 pages.
Evaluation Criteria: 1) Impact: How has the nominee’s work transformed and or contributed to the discipline of museum anthropology (e.g., theory, methodology, influence); 2) Service: How has the nominee provided service to specific museums (e.g., collections, exhibits, public outreach); 3) Mentoring: How has the nominee influenced and inspired the careers of students and colleagues (e.g., mentorship, curriculum development, innovative teaching)?
Lifetime Award recipients will be presented with a gift from CMA and a certificate of the award.
CMA Student Travel Award, due August 31st 2017
The CMA Student Travel Awards are designed to support graduate student travel to the annual AAA meeting to present papers and/or posters. Students and recent graduate degree recipients (those who have defended within the year of the award) are eligible to apply. Each year, CMA will award two prizes of $500 each.
Application packets (maximum 5 pages) must include: a brief letter indicating the applicant’s student status and explaining how this project reflects the student’s graduate work; a copy of the abstract for the proposed paper or poster (and for the session in which they will be presenting, if known); and a letter of endorsement from an academic advisor at the student’s most recent institution of study.
Evaluation Criteria: 1) Creativity: Is the paper or poster a unique and novel contribution to museum anthropology? 2) Commitment: Does the student demonstrate a commitment to the field of museum anthropology 3) Impact: Does the paper or poster have the potential to develop into a work that could more broadly impact the field of museum anthropology?
Student Travel Award recipients will be presented with a check for $500 and a certificate of the award.
Gwen Saul, PhD
Curator of Ethnography
New York State Museum
Albany, NY
518-474-0187