The Small Museum Association honored Cleo Redd Fisher (CRF) Museum curator Kenny Libben at their awards banquet during their 40th annual conference in Richmond, Virginia.
Libben was selected from a competitive field of nominees to be awarded the association’s Hunter-Burley Award, recognizing an individual’s outstanding contributions to the advancement of public access and professional growth for an individual institution.
The announcement came in front of a gathering of nearly 300 museum professionals. In his acceptance speech, Libben spoke of the honor of being recognized and thanked the association for their work in advancing the interests of small museums across the country. Though an individual award, he acknowledged that none of his or the CRF Museum’s achievements would have been possible without the hard work, dedication, and passion of numerous volunteers over the years.
Libben has served as the curator of the CRF Museum in Loudonville since 2010, when museum leadership began considering permanent closure and dissolution following years of low attendance and the retirement of the previous curator, the late Jim Sharp.
Among the many accomplishments that stood out to the awards’ selection committee was the meaningful growth the museum took under Libben’s leadership; memberships more than tripled, artifact and monetary donations significantly increased, and most impressively, annual attendance rates increased from an average attendance of 75-100 visitors to over 10,000.
Though Libben credited the increase with simply “unlocking the doors and letting people inside,” the museum’s board credits much of it with his development of new exhibits focusing on local stories, engaging social media and marketing campaigns, interactive community events, and appealing programs that see the lecture hall regularly filled to standing room only.
Most recently, Libben developed a Heritage Travel program, allowing hopeful travelers to explore the world and discover new places and cultures. The program has proven popular with most tours selling out within days of the announcement, and the dual benefit of a vast increase in museum membership applications as members receive early access.
The Small Museum Association’s mission is to develop and maintain a peer network among people who work for small museums, giving them opportunities to learn, share knowledge and support one another so that they, in turn, can better serve their institutions, communities and profession.
