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Museum’s Website Was in the Top 20% of 13,500 Entries from 70 Countries

The Museum of the American Revolution’s recently redesigned website, amrevmuseum.org, has been named a Webby Honoree in the category of Best Websites and Mobile Sites for Cultural Institutions by the 25th Annual Webby Awards. This year, The Webby Awards received nearly 13,500 entries from nearly all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide. The awards ceremony will take place on May 18, 2021, hosted by actor and writer Jameela Jamil. Since launching in October 2020, the Museum’s website has had 1.2 million pageviews from visitors across more than 185 countries.

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet. Honorees in the Websites and Mobile Sites category are selected for recognition based on overall experience, as well as excellence in content, structure and navigation, visual design, and functionality and interactivity.

"Honorees like the Museum of the American Revolution are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet," said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 13,500 entries we received this year."

The Museum’s website was redesigned by AREA 17, a brand and digital product agency based in Paris and New York, who brought the Museum’s unique, in-person experience online, extending its reach to a global audience. The website’s new look and feel was inspired by the scale and drama of the Museum’s architecture — an airy atrium contrasting with dramatically lit galleries — which welcomes all visitors and envelopes them in rich narrative. The resulting rearchitected website streamlines and enhances visitors’ digital access to the Museum’s mission, expertise, curated experiences, and artifacts.

"Our partnership with AREA 17 began just before COVID-19 forced our temporary closure, at a time when making our virtual resources broadly accessible suddenly gained unprecedented urgency," said ZeeAnn Mason, the Museum’s Chief Operating Officer. "We are thrilled that our redesigned website is not only clean, crisp, and easily navigable, but allows us to deliver virtual experiences previously only available to in-museum visitors, enabling us to better serve our growing national audience and helping us live into our digital potential."

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The Museum’s digital expansion also included translating two touchscreen experiences from the Museum’s galleries — Finding Freedom and Season of Independence — into web applications that could be accessed by students and educators anywhere. AREA 17 worked with the Museum’s team to adapt these stories into responsive web applications that not only broaden the Museum’s educational reach but significantly expand the Museum’s ongoing capacity for digital storytelling.

Highlights of the refreshed website include:

  • Finding Freedom, an online interactive and teacher resources that follow the stories of five people of African descent in 1781 Virginia who sought different paths to freedom.
  • Season of Independence, an online interactive and teacher resources examining the growing support for independence and the varying perspectives held by diverse individuals from across British North America.
  • When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776 – 1807, a virtual exhibit and teacher resources exploring the little-known history of the women and free people of color who legally held the vote in Revolutionary-era New Jersey and the political conflicts that led to their voting rights being stripped away.

"It's been an absolute pleasure collaborating with the Museum of the American Revolution to reimagine their website and the infrastructure that supports it," Mark Jarecke, AREA 17 Managing Director, New York. "As an agency we look to partner with clients that are having a positive impact on the world — the Museum's role in educating the public and revealing our progress as a nation is truly groundbreaking." 

Agency Foster Made is providing ongoing maintenance and development support for the site post-launch.

About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites and Mobile Sites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps and Software, Social, Podcasts, Games, and Virtual & Remotes. Established in 1996, this year’s Webby Awards received nearly 13,500 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: WP Engine, Marketerhire, Brandlive, Slack, YouGov, BASIC, KPMG, Wall Street Journal, AIGA, Podcast Movement, Fast Company, and Social Media Week. For more information, visit webbyawards.com.

About AREA 17
AREA 17 is a brand and digital product agency based in New York and Paris. Founded in 2003, we partner with organizations we trust and admire to create lasting value through craft, impact, and soul. We believe the way we advance digital today is imperative to ensuring a more open, resilient, and optimistic world. By crafting brands and products that are fundamental to our interactions as people, we can make the internet an enhancement of our lives, not a distraction from it. For more information, visit area17.com.

About Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.