Muhammad Ali Center Receives Accolades
Ali Center Receives Best New Attraction Award
The Muhammad Ali Center has been honored with the 5-Star Award for Best New Attraction by the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). The 5-Star Award was chosen by vote of the NATJA membership consisting of more than 500 travel writers, editors, authors and broadcasters. According to NATJA President Dan Schlossberg, there were more than 50 other attractions named on the write-in ballots and that many of them received multiple votes.
“All of us at NATJA are very pleased at the selection of the Muhammad Ali Center for a prize in our 5-Star Awards program,” said Schlossberg. “The Ali Center was chosen because it is a new and exciting venue in a city that is enhancing its reputation far beyond the Kentucky Derby.”
Pathfinders Travel Magazine Names Ali Center to “2006 Best Places” List
The Ali Center is excited to be 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. The lists were compiled by writers and editors who “have literally traversed the globe in search of the most interesting, entertaining and insightful travel stories for people of color.”
“The Center changes every concept one has about a museum, historic or tourist site. This one is interactive, filled with memories, a reflecting room that has to be experienced, and a first-rate gift shop. Then there are the visitors, who are a microcosm of America. The Ali Center is a feel-good place. By the time you leave, you feel inspired to do your best and to be the best person you can be.”
– PJ Thomas, Editor
Pathfinders Travel Magazine
Ali Center Exhibit "The Greatest" Wins Prestigious Media and Technology Award from the American Association of Museums
The Muhammad Ali Center received 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.
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.”
Ali Center Recognized for "Best Museum Environment"
The Ali Center was also recognized in Event Design magazine for receiving a 2006 Silver Event Design Award for "Best Museum Environment."