For Immediate Release

 

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 2 first time accreditations and 31 reaccreditation awards made at the February 2024 meeting of the Accreditation Commission. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,113 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 ensures the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforces the educational and public service roles of museums, and promotes good governance practices and ethical behavior.

First time Accreditation:

• Fairfield University Art Museum, Fairfield, CT
• Old Barracks Museum, Trenton, NJ

Reaccreditation:

• American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
• Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA
• Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT
• Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton,FL
• Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, California State University-Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
• Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Saint Michaels, MD
• Children’s Museum of Memphis, Memphis, TN
• Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History, Corpus Christi, TX
• Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
• Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
• Hermann-Grima & Gallier Historic Houses, New Orleans, LA
• History Colorado, Denver, CO
• Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA
• Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ
• New England Aquarium, Boston, MA
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NM
• Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
• Old State House Museum, Little Rock, AR
• President Woodrow Wilson House, Washington, DC
• Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA
• Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
• Saint Louis Science Center, St. Louis, MO
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
• The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY
• The Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA
• The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
• University Museums – Iowa State University, Ames, IA
• W.R. & C.V. Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
• West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, LA
• Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, Wichita, KS

 

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

media@aam-us.org