The National Association of Interpretation (NAI) announced on November 28, 2018 that ABMC’s Chateau-Thierry American Monument Visitor Center received second place in the interior exhibit category as part of NAI’s annual professional awards. Opened in May 2018 the visitor center is located in the renovated lower level underneath this monument that overlooks the Marne River Valley in the Champagne region of France. The monument commemorates the service of those Americans and French who fought in this region during the Great War, and the visitor center gives context to this fighting and America’s role in World War I.

With approximately 1,200 square feet of exhibit space, the visitor center includes graphic and text informational panels, AV interactive maps, tactile components, an immersive AV experience that includes historic World War I artwork, and a section on the history and design of the monument itself. All exhibit elements, created by Color-Ad, Inc., in conjunction with Howard + Revis Design,  are available in both English and French.

The cadre of judges, who all had interpretation expertise, shared positive comments on the exhibit. “This thoughtful exhibit clearly communicates a theme of shared struggle and triumph of the Allies in World War I,” said one judge. Another judge wrote ““This exhibit does a nice job of distilling the

events of WWI into clear and concise text.” The visitor center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. It’s free to enter, and tickets nor reservations are required.

The NAI award program recognizes outstanding achievements and showcases the successes of NAI members and others working to advance the profession of interpretation. This is ABMC’s fourth award from NAI.