Cleo Redd Fisher Museum curator wins national museum association award
The Small Museum Association honored Loudonville's Cleo Redd Fisher Museum curator Kenny Libben during its 40th annual conference in Richmond, Virginia.
Selected from a competitive field of nominees, Libben was awarded the association’s Hunter-Burley Award, recognizing an individual’s outstanding contributions to the advancement of public access and professional growth for an individual institution. The announcement came in front of a gathering of nearly 300 museum professionals.
In his acceptance speech, Libben spoke of the honor of being recognized and thanked the association for its work in advancing the interests of small museums across the country. Though an individual award, he acknowledged none of his or the CRF Museum’s achievements would have been possible without the hard work, dedication and passion of numerous volunteers over the years.
Libben has served as the curator of the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville since 2010,when museum leadership began considering permanent closure and dissolution following yearsof low attendance and the retirement of the previous curator, the late Jim Sharp.
Among the many accomplishments that stood out to the awards’ selection committee was the meaningful growth the museum took under Libben’s leadership − memberships more than tripled, artifact and monetary donations significantly increased, and annual attendance rates increased from an average attendance of 75-100 visitors to over 10,000.
The museum’s board credits much of it to Libben's development of new exhibits focusing on localstories, engaging social media and marketing campaigns, interactive community events, andappealing programs that see the lecture hall regularly filled to standing room only.
Most recently, Libben developed a Heritage Travel program allowing hopeful travelers to explore the world and discover new places and cultures. The program has proven popular with most tours selling out within days of announcement, and the dual benefit of a vast increase in museum membership applications as members receive early access.
The Small Museum Association award comes on the heels of other achievements and recognition for Libben.
In 2015, he was recognized by the Ohio Local History Alliance for Outstanding Individual Achievement. In 2022, he was elected by the international museum community to serve as an officer on the board of the International Committee for Regional Museums as part of the International Council of Museums.
In 2023, he received Small Museum Professional certification from the American Association for State and Local History, and in December he was invited to Taiwan to speak with museum leaders, including the directors of the National Palace Museum and the National Museum of Taiwan History, on how to develop, aid and sustain small museums in their country. He has also been invited to speak at the American Alliance of Museum’s conference this spring in Baltimore.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Cleo Redd Fisher Museum curator Kenny Libben receives national award
