During the recent annual conference of the
Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) held March 11-13 in Knoxville, TN,
Belmont Mansion received an Award of Excellence for the exhibit “Upon the Toils of Many: The Story of Enslaved, Free Black, and Immigrant Laborers at Belmont Mansion.”
The mansion was also one of six organizations considered for the coveted TAM Presidents’ Award. Stated Myers Brown, Executive Director of Belmont Mansion, “The Belmont Mansion Association is honored to be recognized for its efforts to preserve and tell the story of all those who lived and worked on the Belmont estate.”
The exhibit is included with all ticket purchases. Come explore this history today!
The awards ceremony was held in Knoxville, TN, at the Knoxville Museum of Art on March 13. The TAM Awards of Excellence were presented to museums across the state for exceptional projects, programs, and events held during 2024.
The purpose of the TAM Awards of Excellence program is to recognize, encourage, and promote excellence within the activities of the Tennessee museum community. Nominations are made by museum staff and individuals, and sent in December to their regional representative. Each entry is presented to the TAM Awards Committee which is composed of the seven regional representatives,
the committee chair, and three at-large members. The committee makes the final judging and decisions of awards. Awards are based on creativity, originality, resourcefulness, success, support of museum mission statement, and utilization of staff and volunteers. Categories include permanent, temporary, blockbuster, and traveling exhibits; educational school and public programming; special events; publications; digital media; audio visual; special recognition; and volunteerism.
“This year we presented 99 awards, representing 36 museums, including six awards recognizing Emerging Museum Professionals, five awards recognizing outstanding volunteerism, and our overall winner of the TAM President’s Award, chosen by the past Presidents of TAM, which this year was presented to the Metal Museum in Memphis,” stated Tori Mason, Historic Site Manager at Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, who serves as the chair of the TAM Awards Committee. “Once again, Tennessee museums showed their creativity, resourcefulness, commitment and heart, while providing outstanding programs and opportunities for their audiences. Our state is fortunate to have so many excellent museums and historic sites that are committed to providing exceptional exhibitions, events, and educational programming for visitors to enjoy.”
Belmont Mansion, a historic house museum in Tennessee, is one of the few nineteenth century homes whose history revolves around the life of a woman, Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham. Born on March 15, 1817, into a prominent Nashville family, she wed three times, had 10 children and became one of the country’s wealthiest women. Today the Belmont Mansion Association runs the museum which shares the story of all who lived there and continues the restoration of the house. The Association’s work is funded by admissions, membership, fundraising events, corporate and private donations, and venue rental services.
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