Cortina Productions, in collaboration with Audubon Insectarium, is pleased to announce they are a recipient of the 2023 Southeastern Museums Conference Bronze Award for Gallery Installations, Over $10000 Budget Category. The SEMC Technology Competition recognizes excellence in the use of technology within southeastern museums and celebrates the accomplishments of innovative work.
To help support Audubon Insectarium’s mission to spark curiosity, celebrate the wonders of nature, and increase understanding about the importance of insects, Cortina Productions designed the WOW! Interactive Projection Wall. This exhibit transports visitors to two places where natural wonders of the insect world occur: the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, where monarchs arrive from their fall migration by the millions to winter in the oyamel forests of Mexico, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where the flashing of hundreds of synchronous fireflies create a lightshow spectacle. Visitors are immersed in these two interactive and dynamic scenes that unfold on a 36-foot sweeping projection wall, which is controlled by custom software that tracks visitors’ movement along the wall and responds to their location and actions.
According to Audubon’s Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Rich Toth, “The interactive ‘WOW’ wall at the Audubon Insectarium serves to virtually immerse our guests into the world of insects. The interactive element is not immediately evident as guests enter the space. As they move within the space and drift towards the beautiful video image, the insects are drawn to the guests – as if by magic. That moment helps set the tone for the discovery that awaits our them throughout the rest of the facility.”
As technology continues to gain importance throughout the museum field, expectations and standards were exceptionally high for this year’s applicants. The SEMC Technology Competition received a record number of applications from a wide variety of museums across the southeast.
Winning entries were expected to demonstrate innovation, effective design, accessibility, creativity, and recognition of institutional identity. Recipients of the awards were judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in the fields of digital media and technology.
Award winners will be celebrated at the 2023 Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky as well as in the Fall 2023 Edition of INSIDE SEMC, a digital publication of the Southeastern Museums Conference. This designation recognizes Cortina Productions and the Audubon Insectarium’s contribution to professional standards in Southeastern museums.
About Audubon Insectarium
Audubon Nature Institute is a unique private, not-for-profit organization with an expansive collection of world-class attractions, conservation programs, facilities and wilderness lands, sustainability initiatives, events, venues, and public parks all connected by the common purpose of celebrating, protecting, and connecting guests to the wonders of nature.
Located adjacent to the historic New Orleans French Quarter on the banks of the Mississippi River, Audubon Aquarium recently underwent a $41 million renovation that included relocating Audubon Insectarium into the new, reimagined, and redesigned Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Insectarium complex, combining two top-rated experiences in one expansive state-of-the art facility with a new two-story atrium overlooking the Mississippi River. They are the newest major attractions in New Orleans in the only place of its kind in the world housing both an aquarium and an insectarium.
The Audubon Insectarium, newly relocated in the complex with Audubon Aquarium, encourages visitors to use all five senses as they explore a museum devoted to some of the world’s most fascinating and important insects. Guests discover why insects and their relatives are the building blocks of all life on Earth and along the way marvel at their beauty and variety.
For more information about the Audubon Nature Institute and Insectarium, please visit: https://audubonnatureinstitute.org
About the Southeastern Museums Conference:
The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC), a nonprofit membership organization, is an association of museums, museum staff, independent professionals and corporate partners. We focus on the Southeastern United State including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.
SEMC works to:
- Provide educational and professional development opportunities
- Improve the interchange of ideas and information
- Encourage respect and collegiality
The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming conference experience for everyone. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.
For more information about the Southeastern Museums Conference, visit https://www.semcdirect.net/