American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Program

American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Program
Name	American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Program
Formation	1971
Type	Accreditation program
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent organization	American Alliance of Museums

American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Program The American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Program is a national peer-review initiative that recognizes standards of excellence for museums in the United States. Founded to professionalize museum practice, it assesses collections stewardship, governance, and public service for diverse institutions including art museums, history museums, science centers, and historic houses. Participants in the program include large encyclopedic institutions, regional museums, and specialized organizations that seek recognition from a respected national body.

History and development

The program originated in the early 1970s amid broader professionalization waves involving the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art that influenced museum standards. Early development drew on frameworks used by the American Association of Museums prior to its rebranding as the American Alliance of Museums, and paralleled accreditation efforts in other cultural sectors such as the Library of Congress standards and the accreditation programs of the American Library Association. The program evolved through collaborations with federal entities including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and incorporated recommendations from task forces convened with participation from leaders at institutions like the Getty Trust and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Major revisions of standards occurred following sector-level responses to crises such as the Hurricane Katrina impact on collections and the debates sparked by provenance issues linked to events like the Nazi looting restitution cases and international repatriation claims heard in contexts associated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Purpose and criteria

The program’s stated purpose aligns with priorities articulated by institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Field Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: to affirm institutional health, collections stewardship, public accountability, and ethical governance. Criteria emphasize collections management protocols comparable to standards advanced by the Collections Trust, and governance frameworks paralleling practices at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Evaluative domains reflect best practices in financial sustainability like those promoted by the Council on Foundations and include policies on accessibility referenced by the Americans with Disabilities Act implementation in cultural institutions. Ethical guidelines incorporate provenance considerations shaped by precedents such as the Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and professional norms advocated by bodies including the International Council of Museums.

Accreditation process and evaluation

The multi-stage process starts with a candidacy application similar to processes used by the Association of Art Museum Directors for programmatic review, followed by a self-study modeled on templates used by the American Association of Museums and peer institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. External peer reviewers are drawn from curators, registrars, and directors with affiliations to organizations such as the National Science Teachers Association and the American Alliance of Museums leadership. On-site assessments evaluate physical facilities, collections care, educational programs, and governance, referencing standards used by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and procedures echoing accreditation site visits conducted in higher education by regional accreditors such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Decisions are issued by an accreditation commission that considers documentation, reviewer reports, and precedents set by accredited entities like the Brooklyn Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Impact and benefits

Accreditation confers recognition that can influence grantmaking decisions by funders such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation, and can affect institutional partnerships with universities like Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania museums. Accredited status is often cited in institutional marketing, board recruitment, and loan negotiations with major lenders including the Louvre and the British Museum. Research on outcomes connects accreditation with improved collections care at institutions similar to the New-York Historical Society and increased public trust reflected in visitation patterns at museums like the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Criticisms and controversies

Critics argue that accreditation may favor well-resourced institutions, echoing debates involving the Metropolitan Museum of Art and smaller regional museums such as the North Carolina Museum of History. Concerns include the cost and administrative burden of self-study and compliance, parallels with criticisms of accreditation in higher education raised for bodies like the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and questions about whether standards adequately address restitution and community-engagement imperatives highlighted by controversies at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum. Some stakeholders advocate reforms inspired by community-curated practice exemplars like the Anacostia Community Museum and calls for greater transparency reminiscent of public scrutiny of cultural institutions during events such as high-profile repatriation cases.

Notable accredited institutions

Notable accredited institutions include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution (for specific museums within the complex), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Field Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Brooklyn Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the New-York Historical Society, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Category:Museum accreditation