OMA Award Spotlight – Jesse Kramer-Parr

Recognizing excellence in Ohio museums during Arts and Humanities Month

To help celebrate October as Arts and Humanities Month, and to kick-off the call for nominations for this year's OMA awards, the Ohio Museums Association is highlighting our 2016 OMA Award of Achievement winners throughout the month with our OMA Award Spotlight. 

Click here to see our previous award spotlight articles.

The Awards of Achievement are presented to reflect the outstanding quality and caliber of work by Ohio museums and their professionals in two categories: Institutional Achievement Awards and Individual Achievement Awards.

Nominations for these awards are incredibly detailed. This in-depth process helps to illustrate how these institutions and individuals have gone “above and beyond” the normal call of duty to support their institution, serve their public and advance the cause of the museum community.

Each year, the review panel is overwhelmed by the outstanding projects, innovative programming and dedication to our field as exhibited in each of the institutional and individual nominations. Congratulations again to each of our award winners! 

Today we'll be featuring our winner for the 2016 award for Emerging Professional of the Year.

Jesse Kramer Parr – National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Looking at all that Jesse Kramer-Parr has done in his short time at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, it’s easy to forget that he’s still “emerging” in the field.

Jesse is an artist, but first and foremost, he is an agent for change. As Creative Director at the Freedom Center, he immerses himself in history – and typically, what is considered “difficult history” to produce inspiring exhibitions and community initiatives, connecting with audiences on an emotional level.

A champion for inclusion, Jess has been the visual translator in moving content to immersive museum experiences at the Freedom Center for four years. In that short time, he has mounted the exhibitions Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz: Seventy Years Later; Diversity in Baseball; Kin Killin’ Kin; Enslaved, A Visual Story of Modern Day Slavery; and most recently Mandela: The Journey to Ubuntu.

Jesse was also instrumental in organizing the program, 49 Lights: Cincinnati Remembers, honoring those killed at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

Jesse Kramer-Parr is a passionate and enthusiastic emerging professional, who is clearly committed to creating positive change in the museum field to make our programming and exhibits more reflective of the issues facing all members of the diverse communities we serve.

Do you know a dynamic emerging professional, helping lead the way for the future of museums?  Be sure to nominate them for the 2017 award for Emerging Professional of the Year! Learn more here.

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