Historic New Orleans Collection receives eight Southeastern Museums Conference Awards

Written By Alicia Vial

NEW ORLEANS — The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) is pleased to announce they are a recipient of eight 2025 Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) Awards – six Technology Awards and two Exhibition Awards. The SEMC Awards highlight excellence in the museum industry and establishes standards for exhibition initiatives across southeastern Louisiana.

“Receiving eight awards from the Southeastern Museums Conference is a tremendous honor and a testament to the impactful work being done by our staff every day,” said HNOC President and CEO Daniel Hammer. “I want to extend my deepest, most sincere thanks to the many individuals across the institution whose collaborative spirit and rigorous efforts made these distinctions possible.”

For many visitors, exhibitions are the public face of museums, and effective planning, management of resources, research and interpretation, collections care, public programs, publications, and fundraising all contribute to the fulfillment of a museum's mission. The Exhibition Competition recognizes exhibitions for overall excellence or for stretching the limits of content and design through innovation. Winning entries are well-designed exhibitions of merit with educational value and demonstrated, respectful treatment of objects. Recipients of the awards are judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in curatorial studies and exhibition design.

HNOC received the following Exhibition Awards:

  • Gold Award for Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration

  • Silver Award for Unknown Sitters

As technology continues to gain importance throughout the museum field, expectations and standards were exceptionally high for this year’s Technology Award applicants. Winning entries demonstrate innovation, effective design, accessibility, creativity and recognition of institutional identity. Recipients of the awards were judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in the fields of digital media and technology.

HNOC received the following Technology Awards:

  • Gold Award in the Gallery Installation category for the Making It Home Oral History Table

  • Gold Award in the Media Production category for the Making It Home Lantern Video Projection

  • Gold Award in the Digital Marketing category for the hnoc.org website redesign

  • Gold award in the Virtual Media category for the In Their Words: Captive State Incarceration Testimonials

  • Silver Award in the Media Productions category for A Deliberate Retreat: New Orleans’ Shifting Jails

  • Silver Award in the Virtual Media category for Pham-Vu Family Journey: How One Family Made it Home

Award winners will be celebrated at the 2025 Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon Oct. 22 in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as in the Winter 2025 Edition of INSIDE SEMC, a digital publication of the Southeastern Museums Conference. This designation recognizes HNOC’s significant contribution to professional standards in Southeastern museums.

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About the Historic New Orleans Collection:
The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) is a nonprofit institution dedicated to preserving the distinctive history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Founded in 1966 through the Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation, HNOC operates as a free museum, research center and publisher spanning more than 14 historic buildings in the heart of the French Quarter. For more information visit hnoc.org.

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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