Arlington, VA—Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, issued the following statement in response to the partial federal government shutdown.

“As of this morning, the 19 Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will be forced to close their doors to the public, having run out of temporary funds. The National Gallery of Art will close tomorrow. Many national parks, national monuments, national forests, national historic sites, and other federally operated museums and sites are also closed or have no visitor services, such as restrooms, trash collection, facilities, or road maintenance. These national treasures and the communities that depend on them are bearing the burden of the partial shutdown. Our elected leaders may disagree, but they at least should keep the government operating in the meantime.”

“Museums are economic engines, supporting more than 726,000 jobs and contributing $50 billion to the U.S. economy per year. Even a brief government shutdown means not only the loss of access to valuable cultural resources for our communities, but also significant losses for our economy. The shutdown also burdens tourists, travelers, students and museum-goers throughout the US and around the world who have traveled to visit cultural and heritage sites.”

“The Alliance has recommended policy changes that would preserve public access and services to lands and collections at federally operated museums, national parks, national monuments, national forests, and national historic sites during any future government shutdown.”

The partial shutdown—seven out of the 12 annual appropriations bills, or roughly 25 percent of the federal government—also affects agencies and programs that support museums, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Science Foundation (NSF), historic preservation programs, Save America’s Treasures, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Smithsonian Institution. It does not affect the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Fiscal year 2019 funding for IMLS, including a $2 million increase for the agency, was signed into law in September.

For more about the economic impact of museums, download a free copy of Museums as Economic Engines, A National Study, conducted by Oxford Economics with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In addition, a 2017 study conducted by AAM and Wilkening Consulting and fielded by the opinion polling agency, Ipsos, shows that 95% of voters would approve of lawmakers who acted to support museums and 96% want federal funding for museums to be maintained or increased.

Museums affected by the government shutdown are encouraged to contact the Alliance by emailing governmentrelations@aam-us.org.

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.

Press Contact:
Joseph Klem
Phone: 202-218-7670
Email: jklem@aam-us.org

ARLINGTON, VA – The Board of Directors of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) today announced the appointment of Rebekah Beaulieu and Evans Richardson IV as new Accreditation Commissioners. Their terms begin January 1, 2019 and end December 31, 2023.

The Accreditation Commission is the body responsible for making independent decisions regarding accredited status. It meets three times per year and is made up of museum professionals that collectively bring a wide range of experience and expertise in the museum field. Commissioners serve in a volunteer capacity. AAM accreditation is the museum field’s mark of distinction and offers peer-based validation of a museum’s operations and impact.

Rebekah Beaulieu is the Director of Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. Prior to taking this role in February 2018, she spent four years at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art as the Assistant Director of Museum Operations, then as Associate Director, where she managed all administrative activities including staffing, finances, communications, visitor experience, and operations  She also played an important role in expanding the number of exhibitions and programs offered and broadening access to the museum and its collections. Rebekah also served as the first Executive Director of the Winchester Historical Society (MA) including the Sanborn House Historical and Cultural Center. She is an active Peer Reviewer for AAM’s Accreditation/MAP programs, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities; and is a board member for the Historic Houses and Sites Professional Network, the New England Museum Association and Connecticut Humanities. She is also on the faculty of the History Leadership Institute of the American Association for State and Local History, and the author of Financial Fundamentals for Historic House Museums (2017).

Evans Richardson IV serves as Chief of Staff at The Studio Museum in Harlem, where he collaborates closely with the Director and Chief Curator, the Board of Trustees and teams from across the institution to develop and implement the Museum’s strategic initiatives, cultivate relationships with community stakeholders and institutional partners, and direct all aspects of municipal and state lobbying and advocacy. Evans has helped manage the planning, launch and ongoing execution of a $175 million capital campaign to support the creation of a new home and expanded operations for the Museum. Through his active engagement with New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group since 2015, Evans has helped amplify the consortium’s efforts to promote diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) throughout the city’s cultural sector. Prior to arriving at the Studio Museum, Evans was a Program Specialist at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, a role that connected him with over 100 nonprofit cultural organizations throughout the city’s five boroughs.

Commissioners self-nominate and are appointed by the AAM Board Chair based on recommendations from a five-member nominating committee, then ratified by the full Board. This year the nominating committee received 10 applications for two seats.

“In contrast to the narrow criteria of the past two appointment cycles, this year’s committee was looking for individuals with experience in a range of institutional settings, roles, and/or situations over their career,” said Kippen de Alba Chu, AAM’s Board Chair. “It also gave particular attention to how candidates had advanced some aspect of DEAI in their career—at a museum, in the field at-large, and/or at a related organization—and what they could contribute to the Commission’s current efforts to better codify how it addresses DEAI in its decision-making and application of the standards.”

“Based on their experience and high praise from their peers, I know that Evans and Rebekah will serve AAM with dedication and enthusiasm, and the perspectives they bring will add value to the Commission’s work. I am grateful for their commitment to this vitally important position.”

Learn more about all nine Accreditation Commissioners.

About the Accreditation Program

Established in 1971, and as the flagship program of the Continuum of Excellence, the Accreditation Program is one of the Alliance’s most important mechanisms for unifying the field around a shared set of standards and ethical principles.

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.

Press Contact:

David Harrison
Harrison Communications
410-804-1728
david@harrisoncommunications.net

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced one new museum accreditation and 15 reaccreditations from the October 2018 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 represented themselves as educational entities that are appropriate 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 nearly 50 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 educational and public service roles of museums, and promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.

The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery in Fort Collins, CO, was accredited for the first time.

The following museums were reaccredited:

• Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
• Family Museum of Arts and Science, Bettendorf, IA
• Historic Newton, Newton, MA
• Longue Vue House & Gardens, New Orleans, LA
• Michigan History Center, Lansing, MI
• Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM
• National Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola, FL
• Louisiana’s Old State Capitol Museum, Baton Rouge, LA
• Phoebe Apperson Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
• Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, MA
• Preservation Society of Newport County, Newport, RI
• Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport, IA
• Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA
• Washington State History Museum, Tacoma, WA

According to Accreditation Commission Chair Amy Bartow-Melia, “This group of accredited museums is representative of the diversity of America’s museums, including everything from art and children’s museums, to anthropology and naval aviation, and even a museum dedicated to political history. I commend the staff, board and volunteers of these institutions for their focus and commitment to excellence,” she said. “They’re an inspiration to our field and vital assets to the communities they serve.”

Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,069 are currently accredited. 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. The Accreditation Commission considers these results to determine whether a museum should receive 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.

###

Press Contact:

David Harrison

Harrison Communications

410-804-1728

david@harrisoncommunications.net

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums, the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, has empaneled a task force to examine whether educational philosophies should be articulated as one of the  core documents that museums maintain to ensure professional operations. Current core documents include mission statement, institutional code of ethics, strategic institutional plan, disaster preparedness and emergency response plan, and collections management policy.

Led by the Alliance’s Education Professional Network (EdCom), the Task Force will test whether there is a general field-wide agreement in support of all museums having a core document that clearly states their educational philosophies and principles and/or guides their decisions about the development and delivery of their educational role; and, if so, what the common elements of such a guiding document are.

If there is not agreement, the Task Force will suggest resources in other forms to help museums in this area.

“EdCom has long believed in the essential education mission of museums,” said Tony Pennay, chair of the Task Force and Chief Learning Officer at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “With AAM’s strategic plan emphasizing the role of museums in the broader P-12 Education landscape, and its 2018 Annual Meeting gathered around an educational theme, we felt the timing was right to forge a Task Force and explore the possibility of an education core document. We could not be more excited to get started.”

Between Fall 2018 and Spring 2020 the Task Force will:

• Conduct a field-wide survey and literature review to identify the types of documents, other guidance, and the terminology being used by the field
• Determine if the results of the survey, the literature review, and examples of documents indicate a general field-wide agreement on a guiding education document
• If there is general field-wide agreement on the need for and content of an education document that all museums should have, create a proposal for AAM leadership that provides clarity on generally accepted field-wide exemplary practices; defines education, learning, interpretation and engagement; and identifies the required elements for an education-related Core Document
• Circulate the document across the field for comments; revise as needed
• Make final recommendations with regard to a new potential education-related Core Document or other resources to advance excellence in the field

The composition of the Task Force was designed to ensure that the perspectives of a wide range of museums of all types and sizes, as well as those of a diversity of museum professionals, are represented:

• Tony Pennay (Chair)
  Chief Learning Officer
  The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
• Megan Wood (Vice Chair)
  Director, Museum and Library Services
  Ohio History Connection
• Veronica Alvarez 
  Director of School & Teacher Programs
  Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• Cassie Byrd
  Chief Learning Officer
  Michigan Science Center
• LaNesha DeBardelaben  
  Executive Director
  Northwest African American Museum
• Lori Beth Finkelstein 
  VP Education, Interpretation & Volunteer Programs
  The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
• Ann Fortescue
  Executive Director
  Springfield Museum of Art
• James S. Hakala 
  Senior Educator
  University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
• Rebecca Shulman Herz 
  Director
  Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum
• Leah Melber
  Director of Education, Catalina Island Conservancy
• Nicole Moore
  Manager of Education and Museum Content
  National Center for Civil and Human Rights
• Melissa Prycer
  President & Executive Director
  Dallas Heritage Village
• Jaclyn Roessel
  President
  Grownup Navajo
• Carol Stapp 
  Director, Museum Education Program
  The George Washington University
• Marley Steele-Inama
  Director of Audience Research and Evaluation
  Denver Zoo
• Madelaine Zadik
  Former Manager of Education & Outreach
  Botanic Garden of Smith College

Learn more about the Task Force and follow its activities on the Alliance website.

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 https://www.aam-us.org/.

Press Contact:

Joseph Klem

Director of Marketing & Communications

American Alliance of Museums

Phone: 202-218-7670

jklem@aam-us.org

ARLINGTON, VA – “Unsettled,” the exhibition catalog from the Nevada Museum of Art, has been honored with the best-in-show award in the 2018 Museum Publications Design Competition of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).  From more than 400 submissions from museums in a wide range of disciplines and budgets, judges recognized 84 publications in 12 print categories from 60 different museums and other cultural institutions in the US and internationally.

Published by Munich-based Hirmer Verlag and designed by Brad Bartlett, Unsettled comprises 224 pages and features 110 color images.

The top prize is called the “Franny,” short for the Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for Excellence in Publication Design.  Smyth-Ravenel, who died in 1999, was editor-in-chief at the National Gallery of Art and a long-time judge for the competition.

“In the way that an architect isn’t simply making a building, but asking us to think about the possibilities of what a building can be, the same holds true for  design,” said Bartlett. “Great design should introduce us to the new ways of thinking, new ways of form-making, new ways of story-telling and new ways of pushing the medium itself.”

Learn more from Brad Bartlett on his design approach for this project on the Alliance blog.

“This coveted award recognizes our shared belief in the importance and unique potential of printed publications,” said David B. Walker, Chief Executive Officer of the Nevada Museum of Art.

“Print media remains vital in advancing museums’ missions in research, scholarship and education. This year’s AAM publication design competition attracted an astounding array of museum print media ranging from exhibition catalogs and books to educational supplemental materials from all types and sizes of museums,” said Dean Phelus, AAM’s Senior Director of Leadership Programs. “For more than 30 years, the Alliance has recognized print media for its overall design excellence, that through creativity, innovation, and ingenuity capture the spirit of museums.”

Judges in the competition included:

• Antonio Alcala, Owner, Studio A
• Bennett DeOlazo, Creative Director, Studio B
• Nancy Hacskaylo, Senior Graphic Designer, Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries
• Eileen Kessler, Graphic Design Consultant
• Selena Robleto, Principal, Red Velvet Creative
• Karen Siatras, Publications Designer, Smithsonian American Art Museum

The following is the list of first prize winners; smaller museums (with annual operating budgets less than $1 million) are noted with an asterisk.

Exhibition Catalogs

National Gallery of Victoria / Melbourne, Australia
NGV Triennial
Designed by: Dirk Hiscock

The Center for Art in Wood / Philadelphia, PA*
Emil Milan: Midcentury Master
Designed by: Erika Brask and Dan Saal/Wonderfull Design

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries / Los Angeles, CA*
Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A.
Designed by: Kimberly Varella, Content Object

Posters

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service / Washington, DC
World War I: Lessons & Legacies
Designed by: Jillian Columbus, Explorers Studio LLC

Annual Reports

The New York Botanical Garden / Bronx, NY
NYBG Annual Report
Designed by: The New York Botanical Garden Marketing & Communications Department

National Bonsai Foundation for the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum / Washington, DC*
The National Bonsai Foundation Annual Report/2016
Designed by: Polygraph Creative, Inc.

Books

Dia Art Foundation / New York, NY
Walter De Maria: The Lightning Field
Designed by: Don Quaintance, Public Address Design

Harvard Art Museums / Cambridge, MA
An Album of Artists’ Drawings from Qajar Iran
Designed by: Harvard Art Museums Design Department

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures / Kansas City, MO
Miniature Masterworks
Designed by: Design Ranch

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum / Hamden, CT*
Famine Folios: Series 4
Designed by: Rachel Foley

Newsletters and Calendar of Events

Spencer Museum of Art / Lawrence, KS
View Spring 2018 Issue
Designed by: Jeffrey McKee; Editor: Elizabeth Kanost; Photographer: Ryan Waggoner

Pulitzer Arts Foundation / St. Louis, MO
Fall 2017 Program Guide
Designed by: Athletics

Bard Graduate Center Gallery / New York, NY*
Bard Graduate Center Program Calendars
Designed by: Art Direction: Kate DeWitt; Designer: Jocelyn Lau

Magazines/Scholarly Journals

The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College / Saratoga Springs, NY
Accelerate: Access & Inclusion at The Tang Teaching Museum (no.1)
Designed by: Linked by Air

The Metropolitan Museum of Art / New York, NY
Metropolitan Museum Journal, volume 52 / 2017
Designed by: Tina Henderson, based on original design by Lucinda Hitchcock

Invitations to Events

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / San Francisco, CA
Walker Evans Exhibition Invitation
Designed by: Creative Direction: Bosco Hernández; Art Direction: Meghan Berckes; Designer: Jody Hanson

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / San Francisco, CA
Edvard Munch Exhibition Invitation
Designed by:Creative Direction: Bosco Hernández; Art Direction: Meghan Berckes; Designer: Sunny SunDuck Oh

Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site / Indianapolis, IN*
Mary Tucker Jasper Speaker Series Invitation
Designed by: Commercial Artisan

Press Kits, Marketing and Public Relations Material

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services / Washington, DC
Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking
Designed by: Jodi Bloom, Designfarm

Fundraising and Membership Material

Hammer Museum at UCLA  / Los Angeles, CA
Hammer Museum Capital Campaign Book
Designed by: Kim Baer/KBDA

National Public Housing Museum / Chicago, IL*
Power of Place: Campaign for the National Public Housing Museum
Designed by: Designers: Emma Magidson and Tuan Pham; Creative Director: Cheryl Towler Weese; Image Separation: Prographics; Print Broker: Lowitz and Sons

Educational Resources

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art / Bentonville, AR
Crystal Bridges Family Guide Series
Designed by: Justin Seymore

Exhibition Collateral Materials

Peabody Essex Museum / Salem, MA
“Ocean Liners: Glamour, Speed, and Style” Exhibition Collateral Materials
Designed by: Julie Diewald, Peabody Essex Museum

Yale Center for British Art / New Haven, CT*
Things of Beauty Growing
Designed by: Lyn Bell Rose

Institutional Materials

Museum of Science, Boston / Boston, MA
Museum of Science View Book
Designed by: Corey, McPherson and Nash

Innovations in Print

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / San Francisco, CA
PlaySFMOMA Invitation
Designed by:Creative Direction: Jennifer Sonderby; Art Direction: Bosco Hernández; Designer: Jody Hanson

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / San Francisco, CA
Birthday Bash Invitation
Designed by: Creative Direction: Jennifer Sonderby; Art Direction: Bosco Hernández; Designer: James Provenza

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago / Chicago, IL
50th Anniversary Promotional Materials
Designed by: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

See a full listing of first prize, second prize, and honorable mention winners on AAM’s website.

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.

Media Contact:

Joseph Klem
Director, Marketing & Communications
American Alliance of Museums
202-218-7670

jklem@aam-us.org

Arlington, VA – Aroha Philanthropies, the American Alliance of Museums, and Lifetime Arts announced today that 20 museums and organizations have been tapped to participate in a new initiative, funded and managed by Aroha Philanthropies, Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums.

The list of the participating organizations is below.

• Adventure Science Center, Nashville, TN
• Albuquerque Museum Foundation, Albuquerque, NM
• Anchorage Museum Association, Anchorage, AK
• Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
• Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, Chicago, IL
• Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ
• John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
• The Louisiana Museum Foundation, New Orleans, LA
• Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, San Juan, PR
• Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson, Tucson, AZ
• Museum L-A, Lewiston, ME
• Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, FL
• National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL
• Neon Museum, Las Vegas, NV
• Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH
• The Olana Partnership, Hudson, NY
• Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts, Camden, NJ
• Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
• Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
• Union County Historical Society and Heritage Museum, New Albany, MS

The more than $1 million project will enable these museums to develop and implement high quality, intensive arts learning opportunities for older adults.

All three organizations feel there is an urgent need to change the narrative about what it means to grow old in America, combat ageism, and promote a healthy change in societal attitudes toward aging as growth and older adults as contributors.

The goals of Seeding Vitality Arts are diverse:

• Demonstrate the power and impact of creative aging programs to a broad national audience
• Encourage arts and cultural organizations to develop participatory arts education programs for older adults
• Encourage organizations that serve older adults to develop arts education programming
• Disseminate effective program models

Aroha Philanthropies Founder and President Ellen A. Michelson said, “Aroha is thrilled that this new partnership with these 20 museums will bring the gift of creativity to older adults.”

 The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is advising on the initiative, has helped recruit this new museum cohort, and will assist with documenting and disseminating the outcomes of this work. AAM has played a similar role in Innovation Lab, a program created and run by EmcArts with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation. AAM also will tell the stories of museums that participate, setting the stage for more institutions to offer programs and services for creative aging in their own communities.

Lifetime Arts, the nationally recognized leader in designing and disseminating model creative aging programs for active older adults, will provide training and technical assistance to museum grantees. Lifetime Arts has partnered with Aroha Philanthropies in its two previous Seeding Vitality Arts cohorts.

Lifetime Arts CEO and Co-Founder Maura O’Malley said, “Lifetime Arts is excited to work with this special group of museums which represents a diverse range of collections, programming and communities from Alaska to Puerto Rico. The Vitality Arts Museum Cohort will advance our efforts to improve the lives of America’s older adults through arts education. We are thrilled to be part of this important initiative.”

“We look forward to helping these 20 museums share their stories with our field as they demonstrate museums’ positive effect on social connections, happiness and health outcomes,” said Alliance President and CEO Laura Lott. “This outstanding cohort underscores the fact that museums of all types and sizes can enrich the lives of people at all ages.”

About Aroha Philanthropies

Aroha Philanthropies is devoted to the transformative power of the arts and creativity, inspiring vitality in those over 55, joy in children and youth, and humanity in adults with mental illness. We believe that learning, making, and sharing art enriches everyone throughout their lifetime. Aroha Philanthropies works to improve the quality of life of people 55+ by encouraging the funding, development, and proliferation of arts programs designed to enhance longer lives, and by advancing the development of professional teaching artists working with those in their encore years. More information is available at arohaphilanthropies.org.

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 aam-us.org.

About Lifetime Arts

Lifetime Arts, Inc. was founded in 2008 as a service organization with a singular goal: to enrich the lives of older adults through arts education. Lifetime Arts works nationally to build the capacity of organizations, agencies, and individuals to initiate, develop, implement, and sustain professionally-conducted Creative Aging programs for the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. More information is available at lifetimearts.org

###

Press Contact:

David Harrison

Harrison Communications

410-804-1728

david@harrisoncommunications.net

“I particularly dislike the fact that petrochemical companies are trying to influence young people, and the idea that they have influenced the structure and shape of Science Museum exhibitions is insidious.”

“The striking thing is that the new museums at Göbekli and their bold claims – the appropriation of Neolithic architecture by modern Turks – have arrived at a time of deep scholarly uncertainty about the site’s meaning.”

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 22 museums were reaccredited, and one received its first-time accreditation, at the June 2018 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 professional practices, and have 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 almost 50 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 educational and public service roles of museums, and promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.

The following museums were awarded accreditation. The first-time award is indicated with an asterisk:

• Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
• Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
• Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences of West Virginia, Charleston, WV
• Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge, CA
• Fairfax County Park Authority Resource Management Division
  • Colvin Run Mill, Great Falls, VA
  • Frying Pan Farm Park, Herndon, VA*
  • Green Spring Gardens Park, Alexandria, VA
  • Sully Historic Site, Chantilly, VA
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta, GA
• Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Dallas, NC
• Henry Art Gallery – University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• The Hershey Story: The Museum on Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA
• Museum of Discovery: Arkansas’ Museum of Science and History, Little Rock, AR
• Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
• Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Riverside, CA
• Silas Wright House, St. Lawrence County Historical Association, Canton, NY
• St. Mary’s County Museum Division
  • Clements Island Museum, Colton’s Point, MD
  • Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park, Piney Point, MD
  • U-1105 Black Panther Historic Shipwreck Preserve, Piney Point, MD
  • Drayden African American School House, Drayden, MD
• Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Worcester County Horticultural Society, Boylston, MA

“I commend the staff, board and volunteers of these institutions for their focus and commitment to excellence,” said Accreditation Commission Chair Amy Bartow-Melia. “They’re an inspiration to our field and vital assets to the communities they serve.”

Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,070 are currently accredited. 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. The Accreditation Commission considers these results to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.

For more information about the Alliance and the Accreditation Program, visit www.aam-us.org.

###

Press Contact:

David Harrison

Harrison Communications

410-804-1728

david@harrisoncommunications.net

“(L.A. is) a place of individuals.. So therefore, there haven’t been enough big, ambitious, public funding initiatives. You need big projects like LACMA’s, like the academy’s — challenging, big projects — to get people to realize they can work together and achieve things as a group … build an infrastructure that’s useful for future philanthropy. Because people who give, give again.”