2012 Museum Exhibit Award Winners Announced

Architect George Bergstrom, featured in The Neenah Historical Society's winning exhibit "The Pentagon and the Architecture of George Edwin Bergstrom."

Neenah Historical Society's 'The Pentagon and the Architecture of George Edwin Bergstrom' Exhibit Wins Award

The Neenah Historical Society was awarded the 2012 Museum Exhibit Award for its exhibit "The Pentagon and the Architecture of George Edwin Bergstrom." It was part of the local historical society's "Neenah Notables" program, which also won the Historical Society's Public Program Award.

The local historical society won the award in the category of museum exhibits by a museum with an annual operating budget of less than $50,000.

About the Award

This award is given to the organization that creates an exhibit that meets the award criteria and, in the opinion of the judges, made the most valuable contribution to public understanding of Wisconsin's past during the preceding calendar year.

About the Exhibit

G.E. Bergstrom was born and raised in Neenah. He was one of America's premier architects during the first half of the 20th century and famous for his design of the Pentagon. The exhibit chronicled the remarkable story of how the Pentagon went from concept to occupancy in less than a year, with groundbreaking on September 11, 1941.

Other sections of the exhibit explored Bergstrom's life in Neenah and his career. The first half of the exhibit told the story of the design and location of the Pentagon while the later section focused on Bergstrom's career as an architect and his family. See more about Bergstrom on the Neenah Historical Society website.

The judges deemed the exhibit well researched, with historical documents, photographs and firsthand accounts. The exhibit design supported the theme and stories and included objects from Bergstrom's historic Valley Inn.

History Museum at the Castle in Appleton Wins Award for its 'Progressive Appleton: Through the Lens of W.D. Schlafer' Exhibit

Steam-powered locomobile car from the 1900s featured in the History Museum at the Castle's exhibit "Progressive Appleton: Through the Lens of W.D. Schlafer."

The History Museum at the Castle in Appleton was awarded the 2012 Museum Exhibit Award for its exhibit "Progressive Appleton: Through the Lens of W.D. Schlafer."

The local historical society won the award in the category of museum exhibits by a museum with an annual operating budget of more than $50,000.

About the Award

This award is given to the organization that creates an exhibit that meets the award criteria and, in the opinion of the judges, made the most valuable contribution to public understanding of Wisconsin's past during the preceding calendar year.

About the Exhibit

The exhibit is based on a collection of celluloid nitrate negatives, glass-plate negatives and a printed album from Appleton resident Wilmer D. Schlafer depicting the city between 1893-1920, a collection rarely published and never before exhibited. Museum staff wanted to demonstrate the broader context of photographs taken during Wisconsin Progressive Era and to show how Appleton changed during these years.

Content was delivered in layers for different age and comprehension levels. Working with three academic scholars, the exhibit text focused on local issues to directly illustrate how the Progressive Era touched Appleton. It made the point that Progressives came from many different political parties, and they often crossed rigid party lines to seek compromise.

The judges noted the exhibit helped the museum experience four consecutive months of record attendance. The exit survey revealed that visitors thought the exhibit met their expectations and on average rated it "strong" to "very strong." Learn more about Progressive Appleton: Through the Lens of W.D. Schlafer on the History Museum at the Castle website.

A panel of judges from the Wisconsin Historical Society recommended the local history society receive the award. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Board of Curators approved the 2012 Museum Exhibit Award.