MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair Art Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. MAM was one of the first museums accredited in the country by the American Association of Museums, now American Alliance of Museums, in 1973. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies and the museum-going public.
Alliance accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.
“We are so honored and excited to receive this recognition from our peers at the American Alliance of Museums. Achieving accreditation means that MAM is being acknowledged for holding ourselves to a very high standard of programmatic excellence and transparency,” MAM Director Lora Urbanelli said. “Having the hard work of the staff and board of MAM recognized for their accomplishments is very satisfying.”
Accreditation is a very rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, more than 1,070 are currently accredited. Montclair Art Museum is one of only nine museums accredited in New Jersey.
“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura L. Lott, American Alliance of Museums president and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”
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