2017 National Medal Award

Listen to fifteen StoryCorps recorded conversations here; scroll down to access the audio tracks, below.

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is a 2017 National Medal winner, the nation’s highest museum honor for service to the community.

The Woodson Art Museum was one of only two art museums among the five museums and five libraries named 2017 National Medal winners on May 15, 2017, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency supporting the nation’s approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums, all of which are eligible for the award. Winners are chosen because of their significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. For 23 years, the award has celebrated institutions that respond to societal needs in innovative ways, making a difference for individuals, families, and their communities. Each of the 2017 National Medal winners “play a critical role as community catalysts and provide vital resources that drive economic development, foster community well-being and spark neighborhood revitalization,” said  Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. See the press release for details.

After the Washington, D.C., National Medal award ceremony, StoryCorps — a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans — visited the Woodson Art Museum on October 2017 to document stories from our community; these recordings will be preserved at American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In addition, via this webpage, listen now to all fifteen recorded 40-minute conversations as well as an additional shorter version of one, edited by StoryCorps.