In a calendar year dominated by stories about prison violence, closures and a historic correction officer strike, a local museum decided to look back at how we got here 鈥 and now, that exhibit is award-winning.聽
The Seward House Museum has announced that its Rooted in Reform exhibit received an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History 鈥 one of only two recipients in New York State this year.聽
The exhibit, which is located at the 33 South Street museum in Auburn, explores the history and nuance of Auburn Correctional Facility, especially as it relates to the museum鈥檚 namesake and Civil War Secretary of State William Seward.聽
According to a news release from the museum, the exhibit also 鈥渃hallenges long held assumptions about what historic house museums can 鈥 and should 鈥 tell.鈥
People are also reading…
Jeff Ludwig presenting on the history of the Auburn System聽鈥 a widely adopted, 19th century incarcertion technique with an emphasis on silence聽 developed at Auburn Correction Facility聽鈥聽to a crowd at the Seward House Musuem.聽
The executive director of the Seward House Museum, Billye Chabot, said that exhibit helped people better understand their own communities ties to the history of incarceration.聽
鈥淭he exhibit ultimately sparked a broader dialogue around incarceration and historical memory,鈥 Chabot said, 鈥渞einforcing the idea that mass incarceration is not only a national issue, but also a deeply local one, one that begins in places like Auburn.鈥
The exhibit was first brainstormed in 2023 and formally launched in 2024.聽
An exhibit room with readings related to the architecture of Auburn Correctional Facility and the site that it was built on at the Seward House Museum.聽
Ian Kerrigan, a representative of the association that confers the award, said that the Seward House Museum鈥檚 exhibit is a model for future exhibits to follow.聽
鈥淚 am very pleased that the Rooted in Reform project is receiving this honor,鈥 Kerrigan said in a news release.聽
鈥淭hat speaks to the important work and impact the Seward House Museum is having in its community, with its stakeholders and partners, and in the field overall.鈥澛
Apart from the Award of Excellence, Rooted in Reform was featured in an issue of the Exhibition Journal, a leading-museum magazine, and awarded the Board of Directors Special Achievement Award from the Museum Association of New York.聽
The Seward House Museum in Auburn has been recognized with an award for one of its exhibits.
The museum will formally accept the award at a September conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.聽
For more information on the Seward House Museum, visit:
Zach Jaworski is a reporting intern with 水果派AV and . He can be reached at zach.jaworski@lee.net.
Zach Jaworski
Reporting intern
