The Coastal Museums Association held its third annual CMA Awards of Excellence on Wednesday, June 1st, 2016, to recognize the exceptional educational and cultural programming delivered by local museums and cultural institutions during the 2015 calendar year. The event was held at Bethesda Academy.
 
“The Coastal Museums Association board is honored to recognize the outstanding work of our colleagues,” said Courtney McNeil, Vice President of the Coastal Museum Association and Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Telfair Museums.  “The organizations and individuals we celebrate today have made important contributions to keeping the history and culture of our region engaging and relevant to today’s audiences.”
 
The award winners by category are:
 
**Excellence in Education & Interpretation to Pinpoint Heritage Museum for its daily interpretation and programming. Located on the former site of the A. S. Varn & Son Oyster Factory, this museum celebrates the community of Pinpoint, founded in 1890 by freed slaves. It serves as an education center designed to allow visitors to experience the unique language, religion, and food of Gullah/Geechee culture.
 
**Excellence in Public History to Savannah History Museum for “Loyalists & Liberty” Program, which brought visitors to the site of the second bloodiest battle of the American Revolutionary War, the 1779 Battle of Savannah. The program provides a hands-on and immersive experience by bringing history to life through a muster with Quaker rifles and flags, rare artifacts, and a musket firing demonstration.
 
**Excellence in Outreach & Collaboration to Georgia Historical Society and Massie Heritage Center for “Discovering Hernando de Soto and the Impact of Spanish Exploration” Program. These two organizations partnered to bring this interactive in-school program to local elementary schools as part of the Georgia History Festival. Students journeyed back in time to the 1540s as they rotated through four discovery stations focusing on mapping skills, the life and legacy of Hernando de Soto, archaeology, and cultural exchange. The program reached 837 students at 10 schools.
 
**Excellence in Exhibition to Congregation Mickve Israel for the Gutstein Museum Renovation, which modernized and updated the Museum’s display of the unique history of the oldest Jewish congregation in the south. The renovation included an improved and fully archival display for Mickve Israel’s two 15th-century Torah scrolls, which are among the oldest in the United States.
 
**Individuals of Excellence to Raleigh Marcell for his dedicated service to the Davenport House Museum.