01-04-2025
Cleo Redd Fisher Museum wins award for Johnny Appleseed exhibit
LOUDONVILLE — The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum received the Best Exhibition Award (under $500,000 budget) from the Ohio Museums Association for its exhibit "Johnny Appleseed: Cultivating a Nation."
According to an announcement, the award was presented during the association's annual awards banquet on March 30. Leslie Braden, president of the board of directors, and Laurie Bower, trustee, accepted the award on behalf of the museum.
The exhibit, developed by museum curator Kenny Libben, debuted in summer 2024. It explored the life, myth and legacy of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, and examined his influence on early American agriculture, conservation and culture.
The exhibit was made possible by a grant from the Ashland County Community Foundation and is now available as a traveling display for other museums, libraries and cultural centers.
'This award is not just recognition of a single exhibit,' Braden said. 'But a celebration of our museum's continued commitment to high-quality programming, community engagement and historical storytelling. We are proud of what our team − and our volunteers − continue to accomplish year after year.'
This award adds to a list of honors for the museum, which is operated by the Mohican Historical Society, a nonprofit group.
In 2015, Libben received the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from the Ohio Local History Alliance, followed by the Hunter-Burley Award from the Small Museum Association in 2024. The museum's volunteers have also been recognized, with John and Alice Schopfer receiving the Ohio Local History Alliance's Outstanding Individual Achievement Award in 2020 and Jeanne Griffin named Volunteer of the Year by the Ohio Museums Association in 2021.
In 2022, Libben was elected as an officer of the International Council of Museums' Committee for Regional Museums, earning international recognition for his work. Since then, he has been invited to collaborate with and speak at museums across the globe, further raising the profile of the Loudonville-based institution.
For more information about the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum, upcoming events or booking the Johnny Appleseed traveling exhibit, visit
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This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Cleo Redd Fisher Museum wins Ohio Museums Association award
