The History of Art & Architecture Department is pleased to share the following article, posted by the College of Humanities & Fine Arts, covering Professor Charmaine A. Nelson's Black Maple Magazine, which recently honored with six awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. Read more below!
September 2, 2024 | Awards and Recognitions
Black Maple Magazine—founded by Provost Professor of Art History Charmaine A. Nelson—was recently honored with six awards in the 30th Annual Communicator Awards presented by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA). With more than 3,000 entries received from across the U.S. and around the world, the Communicator Awards is one of the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.
Black Maple Magazine received awards of distinction and excellence in the following categories: General-Education, Excellence 2024; General-Magazine, Excellence 2024; General-Publishing, Excellence 2024; General-Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Excellence 2024; General-Arts & Entertainment, Distinction 2024; and General-Health & Wellness, Distinction 2024.
Launched in December 2022, Black Maple Magazine is a one-of-a-kind fusion of academic and pop culture content and one of Canada’s first and only national black magazines. Nelson, who both founded the magazine and currently serves as its editor-in-chief, created Black Maple Magazine as an online platform to embrace, challenge, and celebrate the beautiful diversity of Black Canada. Born in Toronto to Jamaican parents, Nelson is Provost Professor of Art History in the History of Art & Architecture Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is the founding Director of the Slavery North Initiative.
“The entries into this season of The Communicator Awards were such a great representation of our three decades celebrating innovation and creativity in all forms of communication. I couldn’t have wished for a more diverse and brilliant body of work to be placed in our jurors’ capable hands,” says AIVA Managing Director Lauren Angeloni. “I want to congratulate all of the honorees for their well-deserved wins. I also would like to extend sincere thanks to our jurors who always put so much time and heart into the review process.”
“We are thrilled to receive six coveted Communicator Awards from this venerated international competition. The success of Black Maple Magazine is a testament to our fruitful collaboration with the brilliant team at NVision,” says Nelson. “These awards underscore our commitment to create original and thought-provoking content for an audience that has been too long neglected. They affirm our vital contributions to the international communications landscape.”
About Black Maple Magazine
Black Maple Magazine began as Nelson’s research website, blackcanadianstudies.com in 2012. Relaunching the site in December 2022, Black Maple Magazine is now a unique forum hosting feature articles, interviews, pop culture and self-care news, academic research, an active job board, and robust resource lists. An award-winning site, Black Maple Magazine was also named an honoree in the 28th Annual Webby Awards and awarded a Silver Medal in the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards Awareness and Media Categories: News and Journalism for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
About The Communicator Awards
The Communicator Awards is the leading global awards program honouring creative excellence for marketing and communications professionals. Founded three decades ago, the Communicator Awards is an annual competition recognizing the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and design.
The Communicator Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed brand and media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms including: GE Digital, Spotify, Condè Nast, Disney, Accenture Song, Superfly, Fast Company, Digitas, and many others. See aiva.org for more information.
For more information about Black Maple Magazine and interview requests for Charmaine A. Nelson, please contact Emily Davidson at @email or call 1-902-422-1405.
For more information about The Communicator Awards, please visit communicatorawards.com, email the Communicator Awards at @email, or call (212) 675-3555.