Muhammad Ali Center Exhibit "The Greatest" Wins Prestigious Media and Technology Award

MUSE Award Adds to List of Other Recent Honors

LOUISVILLE, KY (May 24, 2007) … The Muhammad Ali Center is pleased to announce its receipt of a 2007 Bronze MUSE Award for Video awarded by the American Association of Museums (AAM) at their annual conference in Chicago.  The MUSE awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in museum media and received nearly 200 applications from a wide variety of museums in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.  Cortina Productions in McLean, Virginia produced the film as media designers of the Center's exhibits; Formations, Inc. of Portland, Oregon was responsible for exhibit design and fabrication.

“We are proud to know that other professionals in the industry recognize the creative genius and impact of this media element of the Center’s visitor experience that is projected onto a regulation size boxing ring,” says Mike Fox, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center. “‘The Greatest’ has lived up to its name and is a favorite among guests visiting the Ali Center.”

Designed to give visitors the same thrill and excitement of watching a live boxing match, “The Greatest” includes photographs of Ali bouts by sports photographer Neil Leifer as well as poignant interviews to showcase Ali’s professional career.  The symbolism of an artist's canvas is used in conveying Ali's skill as a boxer and LeRoy Neiman paintings of Muhammad are revealed as brush strokes across the canvas.

The judges described the video as “a classic mythology - Ali arises from nowhere, is unlike any fighter before, leaves the stage, returns to triumph, failure, final triumph, and leaves a lasting legacy.”  They also called the film “an effective and entertaining introduction that invites further exploration of Ali's life.”

This year MUSE Award winners were named from 11 distinct categories which included entries in audio, interactive handheld tours, interactive kiosks and multimedia installations, podcasts,  games, websites, online collection and image databases, videos, and more.  The competition is an activity of the Media and Technology Standing Professional Committee of the AAM.

“It is an honor and privilege for AAM's Media and Technology Standing Professional Committee to host the MUSE awards, now in its eighteenth year. Once again, the quality and diversity of entries has been exceptional. The ingenuity and creativity of the people who conceptualize and build these projects, never ceases to amaze me,” says Nik Honeysett, Chair of AAM’s Media & Technology Committee.

Thirty-eight museum and media professionals from across the county were involved in the judging process of selecting the winners.  Winning entries were expected to demonstrate outstanding achievement in content quality; interface design; functionality; production quality; visual appeal; the user’s experience; and the intent to which new directions were charted or old challenges resolved through technical innovation. 

The Muhammad Ali Center has also been recognized with the 5-Star Award for Best New Attraction by the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). Plus, the Ali Center was recently included in Pathfinders Travel Magazine’s new “2006 Best Places” list. The Center was one of only four attractions around the world selected for the “Best Places to See a Museum that Touches the Heart and Soul” category.

For more information on the MUSE Awards go online to www.mediaandtechnology.org.

###