Human rights museum wins international award

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This article was published 29/09/2016 (2765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In an event dubbed “the Oscars for museums,” the Canadian Museum for Human Rights won the international award for the Best Soft Power Cultural Organization at a ceremony Friday at the Langham Hotel in London, England.

The CMHR was chosen by a jury of the 2016 Leading Culture Destination Awards, a London-based organization with a designated mission to offer “unique experiences for cultural explorers, global nomads, people collectors and art lovers.” The Winnipeg museum prevailed over two other institutions shortlisted for the award, including the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland, and the Bamiyan Woman’s Community Centre in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Other award categories at the annual ceremony included exhibition, museum architecture, museum restaurant and leading culture destination of the year.

The “soft power” designation is an expression coined by political scientist Joseph Nye in 1991 to describing “the exercise of influence through attraction, persuasion and agenda-setting rather than military or economic coercion,” says Gail Lord, a Toronto-based museum developer who consulted on the CMHR and attended the ceremony.

It fell on Angela Cassie, CMHR’s vice-president of public affairs and programs, to go to London and accept the prize, an assignment that compelled her to sum up the museum’s mission and its future goals in an acceptance speech limited to 90 seconds.

In a phone interview, Cassie noted winning the award in London could pay off with an influx of “cultural explorers” from Britain coming to town, especially given a newly established direct flight from Gatwick Airport to Winnipeg via WestJet.

“It puts Winnipeg on an international stage and represents a tremendous opportunity,” Cassie said of the award.

CMHR president and CEO John Young could not attend the ceremony because of a prior commitment but asserted the award recognized the museum as “a global cultural destination alongside the most prestigious museums and galleries in the world.”

“This award will encourage more visitors from around the world to make the trip to Winnipeg and experience for themselves the cultural and architectural marvel that is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights,” Young said.

‘This award will encourage more visitors from around the world to make the trip to Winnipeg and experience for themselves the cultural and architectural marvel that is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ — CMHR president and CEO John Young 

Mayor Brian Bowman had a hand in the proceeding. At the behest of the museum, he nominated the CMHR for the award and got to celebrate its win.

“As a city, we’re thrilled to have such an important cultural icon that has the ability to inspire current and future generations,” he said in a prepared statement. “From the subject matter to the effect on Winnipeg’s skyline, the CMHR commands the attention of the beholder.”

The CMHR has already won three other awards this year, including an International Architecture Award from the prestigious Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design as well as two awards for educational initiatives from the Canadian Museums Association.

randall.king@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @FreepKing