For Immediate Release
Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 4 first time accreditation awards and 19 reaccreditation awards made at the June 2022 meeting of the Accreditation Commission. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,096 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 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 earned accreditation for the first time:
- Geneva History Museum, Geneva, IL
- Jesuit Dallas Museum, Dallas, TX
- Museum of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville MO
- William Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, CT
The following museums were reaccredited:
- Fort Ticonderoga Museum, Ticonderoga, NY
- Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, NC
- Historic Columbia Foundation, Columbia, SC
- Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
- Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, PA
- Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo, MI
- Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
- Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR
- National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.
- National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, VA
- Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, VA
- Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
- Pennsbury Manor, Morrisville, PA
- Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola, FL
- San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA
- Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
- Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Miami, FL
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.
The Accreditation Commission meets 3 times a year (February, June, and October) and can make one of the following decisions:
- Grant accreditation (usually for 10 years)
- Table its decision for 1 year so specific issues can be addressed
- Deny accreditation due to failure to meet multiple Core Standards
- Defer a decision to gather additional information
A museum’s accredited status is not changed during a period in which a decision is tabled or deferred.
Read more about the Alliance’s Accreditation program.
View a full list of accredited museums.
About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. Since 1906, we have been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward.
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Press Contact:
Natanya Khashan
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