For Immediate Release
Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 13 reaccreditation awards made at the October 2020 meeting of the Accreditation Commission. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,087 are currently accredited.
Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by their peers, these museums have demonstrated they meet standards and best practices, and are educational entities that are appropriate stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust.
Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for nearly 50 years, AAM accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Accreditation Program helps to ensure the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforce the educational and public service roles of museums, and promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.
The following museums were reaccredited:
- Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA
- Carlyle House Historic Park, Alexandria, VA
- Ellen Noel Art Museum of Permian Basin, Odessa, TX
- Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
- Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, FL
- Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, AR
- Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL
- Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, Key West, FL
- Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL
- The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
- The Philip & Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA
- U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, Fort Sam Houston, TX
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
“As you can see in this list, from location to scope of collections, these thirteen museums span the breadth of the country and represent the diversity of the museum field,” said Amy Bartow-Melia, Accreditation Commission Chair. “And notably, for four of these museums, these awards mark their fourth reaccreditation process, for a total of five times accredited, while others just completed their first of many.”
To earn accreditation, a museum submits a self-study questionnaire and key operational documents for evaluation, then undergoes a site visit by a two-person team of peer reviewers which produces a report for the Accreditation Commission. The Commission uses these materials and its collective expertise to determine whether to grant accreditation.
Read more about the Alliance’s Accreditation program.
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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Press Contact:
Natanya Khashan
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