The BMW Car Club of America Foundation may be a newcomer to the automotive museum business, but it has already been recognized for the quality of its materials.
The BMW CCA Foundation was founded in 2002 with the triple mission of safe driving education, preservation and conservation of significant BMW and BMW-related automobiles, and collecting, cataloging, and making available to the motoring public BMW-related materials, artifacts and references.
One of the Foundation’s long-term goals is the establishment of a museum as the best way to make the most significant items in the collection available to the public for viewing and appreciation. When it acquired its current building three years ago, some of the office and warehouse space was designated for double duty to display these items, essentially planting the seeds for what will become a full-fledged museum.
The Foundation’s archivist and curator, Michael Mitchell, has been responsible for organizing and maintaining the displays of the more interesting items from the Foundation’s collection. For each of the past five years, Michael has attended the annual conference of the National Association of Automobile Museums (NAAM), which supports, educates, and encourages member museums and associated organizations to operate according to professional standards of the museum industry. This year, Michael was accompanied by chief docent Ian Branston, and Bruce Hazard, the immediate past president of the BMW Car Club of America and the BMW CCA Foundation Trustee who oversees the archives, library, and museum mission.
In addition to two days of museum seminars, the attendees visited some of the local automotive museums in the local area, which this year was in Bar Harbor, Maine.
NAAM presents Awards of Excellence—called the NAAMYs—each year to deserving museums or organizations in various categories, for presentations of materials related to the organizations’ functions. This year, Michael Mitchell entered the BMW CCA Foundation in five categories in the division under which the BMW CCA Foundation falls. The results of Michael’s efforts were spectacular. The Foundation was awarded three first-place awards and one second place.
Eligible organizations fall into either Division I, for museums with annual budgets under $300,000, and Division II, for those with budgets over $300,000.
The award categories were:
Collateral Materials. Brochures, rack cards, and other printed materials related to promoting or presenting the museum to the public or profession within the specified calendar year.
Newsletters and Magazines. Newsletters and magazines published by the museum within the specified calendar year.
Books and Exhibit Catalogs. Books and exhibit catalogs published by the museum within the specified calendar year.
Web Designs. Design and function of the organization’s web site. The web site must have been fully functional, created or substantially improved during the specified calendar year.
Films and Videos. Film, video, or digital presentations to promote the museum or for the interpretation of a special exhibit produced within the specified calendar year.
Interpretive Exhibits. Museum interpretive exhibits designed by the museum and related to the focus of the museum that were installed in and displayed to the public during the specified calendar year.
Educational Programs. Educational programs related to the mission of the museum that were implemented and used during the specified calendar year.
Events and Public Promotions. Marketing and promotional efforts by the museum for a special event, special exhibit, or special program during the specified calendar year.
Michael entered books in Collateral Materials, Newsletters and Magazines, Books and Exhibit Catalogs, Educational Programs, and Events and Public Promotions. The Foundation received Division I first-place NAAMYs for Collateral Materials, Newsletters and Magazines, Books and Exhibit Catalogs, and a second-place NAAMY for Events and Public Promotions.
Of special interest to BMW CCA members is the Event and Public Promotion that resulted in the second-place NAAMY was the BMW CCA Foundation's charity rides in vintage and modern BMW race cars at Oktoberfest.
With this official recognition from a respected association in the field of automotive museums, the BMW CCA Foundation has shown that it is growing and maturing in the right direction. Congratulations to Michael Mitchell and the Foundation’s leadership, sponsors, donors, ambassadors, and staff.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of Michael Mitchell and Scott Blazey.]
