For Immediate Release
Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 5 first time accreditation awards and 47 reaccreditation awards made at the October 2022 meeting of the Accreditation Commission, including the first museum located in the Middle East to become accredited. Of the United States’ estimated 33,000 museums, 1,099 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 over 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:
- Mission San Luis, Tallahassee, FL
- Hilliard Art Museum – University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA
- Pioneer Museum – Gillespie County Historical Society, Fredericksburg, TX
- US Navy Seabee Museum, Port Hueneme CBC Base, CA
- The Media Majlis at Northwestern University in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
The following museums were reaccredited:
- Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, OR
- Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY
- Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, ME
- Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, ME
- Conner Prairie Museum, Fishers, IN
- Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH
- Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO
- Des Moines Art Center – Edmundson Art Foundation, Des Moines, IA
- Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
- Fort Bend History Association, Richmond, TX
- Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN
- Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, DC
- Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI
- International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, RI
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
- Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum – Roscoe Village, Coshocton, OH
- Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Auburn, AL
- Kykuit & Pocantico Center, Tarrytown, NY
- Mackinac State Historic Parks, Mackinaw City, MI
- Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, University Center, MI
- McLean County Museum of History, Bloomington, IL
- Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester, Rochester, NY
- Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN
- Miami University Art Museum, Oxford, OH
- Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, VT
- Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
- Muscatine Art Center, Muscatine, IA
- Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, TX
- Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium, Flint, MI
- Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA
- Smithsonian Gardens, Washington, DC
- Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA
- Joseph Museums, Saint Joseph, MO
- Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Grand Island, NE
- Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
- The Henry Ford, Dearborn, MI
- The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL
- The Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ
- The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
- Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, FL
- Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, Wethersfield, CT
- Western Heritage Center, Billings, MT
- Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS
- Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, WI
- Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, VA
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.
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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