Aquarium/Cortina Productions Win Prestigious Award From American Alliance of Museums

May 9, 2017

Southern California’s largest aquarium, the nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific, in collaboration with Cortina Productions, has won a 2017 MUSE Award from the American Alliance of Museums for the program titled Pacific Visions. The Aquarium of the Pacific worked with Cortina Productions to create this video to tell the story of the aquarium’s first major expansion, the Pacific Visions wing, which will open in early 2019.

“Pacific Visions will be the new centerpiece of the Aquarium, providing nearly 30,000 square feet of facilities that integrate the arts and sciences, while offering visitors innovative new ways to understand ocean habitats and contemporary scientific research to inspire them to create a better future,” said Aquarium of the Pacific President Dr. Jerry Schubel. The $53 million two-story structure will anchor the Aquarium as a science and culture hub inside a biomorphic, whale-like structure. The Honda Pacific Visions Theater housed there will feature state-of-the-art immersive and interactive programming daily, lectures with leading experts, and performing arts to further environmental stewardship by engaging the public in multisensory experiences. The changing exhibits gallery will feature live animals and interactives, and the art gallery will feature works that communicate science and environmental issues.

The Aquarium of the Pacific and Cortina Productions were presented with the Bronze MUSE Award in the category Public Outreach yesterday during the awards reception at the 2017 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. There to receive the award was Aquarium of the Pacific President Dr. Jerry Schubel and Cortina Productions Founder and Creative Director Joe Cortina. This award recognizes the Aquarium of the Pacific’s and Cortina Productions’ high achievement in the application of media and technology to Gallery, Library, Archive, and Museum [GLAM] programs. “It’s very exciting that audiences’ first peek at the amazing Pacific Visions experience is being recognized by AAM,” said Joe Cortina.

The MUSE Awards competition received more than 200 applications from a wide variety of institutions in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. This year’s entries included videos and films, interactive kiosks and installations, VR experiences, applications and APIs, digital communities, websites, audio tours, and more. Over 90 GLAM professionals from across the globe participated as jurors in the process of reviewing and scoring entries. Winning programs were expected to demonstrate outstanding achievement in their content, interface, design, technical merit, innovation, utility, and appeal. Now in its 28th year, the MUSE awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in GLAM media and technology efforts. The competition is administrated by the AAM Media & Technology Professional Network.

“It is an honor and a privilege for the Media & Technology Professional Network to host the 28th annual MUSE Awards. The quality of this year’s entries demonstrates an ever increasing sophistication in the way GLAM’s are leveraging both traditional and cutting edge technologies in service to their public audiences, and the Aquarium of the Pacific and Cortina Productions should be proud of their achievement,” said Neal Johnson, chair, AAM Media & Technology Professional Network.

The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored by scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in search of sustainable solutions. Programs for adults include Aquatic Academy evening courses in current ocean issues, the ongoing Guest Speaker Series, and visual and performing arts events. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature’s services by building the interactions between and among peoples. Home to more than 11,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include the June Keyes Penguin Habitat, Ocean Science Center, Molina Animal Care Center, and the interactive Shark Lagoon and Lorikeet Forest exhibits. The Aquarium has won a 2015 Travelers’ Choice Award for Aquariums, as awarded by TripAdvisor® travelers. The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for 12 months, VIP Entrance, and other special benefits. Charity Navigator awarded the Aquarium a 4-star charity rating in 2016.

For more than 16 years, Cortina Productions has been designing and producing award-winning multimedia experiences for museums and aquariums. The company strives to tell stories in compelling and innovative ways. From immersive theaters and multi-user interactives to mobile apps, Cortina Productions aims to stay at the forefront of technology as they develop new ways for visitors to explore and experience exhibition content. During its 12-year partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific, Cortina Productions has created numerous films and interactive exhibits, including the Whales: Voices in the Sea interactive, Whales: Journey with Giants Great Hall installation, the Otter’s Journey interactive game, and three films for the Science On a Sphere® theater, including Rising Sea and Our Instrumented Earth. Cortina Productions will continue its partnership with the Aquarium in creating experiences for the Honda Pacific Visions Theater, which will debut to the public when the new wing opens.

For more information about the MUSE awards, please visit: http://aam-us.org/about-us/grants-awards-and-competitions/muse-awards https://www.facebook.com/AAMMediaTech/ https://twitter.com/AAM_MediaTech