The Alliance Announces Three Newly Accredited Museums and Ten Museums Re-Accredited

Posted on Jul 13, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 13, 2017

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums has announced that three museums were newly accredited and 10 museums earned re-accreditation at the June 2017 meeting of the Accreditation Commission.

Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by their peers, these museums have demonstrated they meet Standards and Best Practices and shown themselves to be core educational entities that are good stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust.

As the ultimate mark of distinction in the museum field, accreditation signifies excellence and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies and to the museum-going public. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 45 years, the museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. Accreditation helps to ensure the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforce the education and public service roles of museums and promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.

“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura Lott, Alliance president and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”

According to Accreditation Commission Chair Burt Logan, “this group of accredited museums is representative of the diversity of America’s museums, including everything from contemporary art museums to historic houses and sites, from state-operated to academic institutions.”

The following museums were awarded accreditation. First-time awards are indicated with an asterisk:

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover, DE*
Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science, Evansville, IN
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, Piggott, AR*
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA
Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN*
Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket, MA
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL
Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, New York, NY
VMI Museum System, Lexington, VA
Wilton House Museum, Richmond, VA

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

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