‘Prairie State Museums Project’ Wins an Award of Excellence in the Illinois Association of Museums Awards

The Pulitzer Center-supported Prairie State Museums Project, administered by the firm Resilient Heritage, has won an Award of Excellence for Covid Response Awards in the Illinois Association of Museums Awards (IAM Awards). 

The Prairie State Museums Project examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local museums in Illinois. With 13 local news media partners across Illinois and one national outlet, the project highlighted the value these community institutions bring to the everyday lives of Illinoisans. 

Over a span of three months, 16 journalists used information from Arts Alliance Illinois' Culture Sector Impact Assessment and standardized statistical data to report on the detrimental effects of the current downturn on museums and the communities they serve. To complete this project, each journalist wrote two 800- to 1,200-word stories that were cross-published in additional print and online outlets. 

Participating journalists in the Prairie State Museums Project are Alex Gary, Eric Berger, Karen Witter, Brian Munoz, Arionne Nettles, Breanna Grow, Carlos Ballesteros, Taylor Moore, Sarah Nardi, Olivia Cunningham, Henry Izaguirre, Nicole Cobb, Claire Voon, Kris Vire, Mark Braboy, and Jonathan Turner. 

For a full list of the IAM award winners, please click here.