The winners of the Leading Culture Destination Awards have been announced at a ceremony at the new Trafalgar St James Hotel on Friday evening.
Chosen by a panel of nine judges of established cultural gurus from around the world, the Leading Culture Destination Awards celebrates museums and cities for their cultural dedication. The awards recognise institutions, organisations and cities that have provided exemplary contributions to local cultural life and showcase emerging destinations.
Now in its fourth year, the LCD awards review everything from audacious programming and management structures to cross-sector collaborations and Michelin-starred restaurants, late night openings and music performances. The winners were presented with a trophy designed by United Visual Artists.
The winners of this year’s awards include:
Exhibition of the Year: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, Hirishhorn Museum (Washington DC, USA).
Museum Architecture of the Year: Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (Lisbon, Portugal)
Museum Shop of the Year: Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, USA)
Restaurant of the Year: Fotografiska (Stockholm, Sweden)
Digital Museum Experience of the Year: British Museum (London, UK)
Best New Museum of the Year Award winners:(opened in the last 15 months):
Europe: Design Museum (London, UK)
North America: Tippet Rise Art Center (Fishtail, USA)
Latin America: Casa Wabi (Puerto Escondido, Mexico)
Middle East/ UAE/ Africa: Etihad Museum (Dubai,UAE)
Asia/ Pacific: MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
The Traveller’s Award winners, presented by Avis:
Emerging Cultural City of The Year: Athens, Greece
Art Hotel of the Year: The Walled Off Hotel (Bethlehem)
Soft Power Destination of the Year Award winners:
Best Soft Power Cultural Activation Award: Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Art Less: The Davis without Immigrants (Wellesley,USA)
Best Soft Power Cultural Organisation Award:Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto, Canada)
Best Soft Power Cultural District Award : Watts Tower Arts Center (Los Angeles, USA)
Climate Smart Award:
Climate Control at Manchester Museum (Manchester,UK)
Best Museum Late Night Experience:
Rubin Museum of Art (New York, USA)
The Leading Culture Destination 2017 overall winner:
Design Museum(London, UK)