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Oklahoma City Art Museum Achieves Accreditation From American Association of Museums (AAM)

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art has again achieved accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art was initially accredited in 2000. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.

AAM Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. 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.

Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is one of only ten museums accredited in Oklahoma. In addition to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the other museums include Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art (Norman), Gilcrease Museum (Tulsa), Museum of the Great Plains (Lawton), National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City), Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, Philbrook Museum of Art (Tulsa), Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (Norman) and Science Museum Oklahoma (Oklahoma City).

“Having visited Oklahoma City this spring, I know what a great museum town it is,” said AAM president Ford W. Bell. “And one of the jewels in its crown is the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. AAM accreditation means the museum achieves excellence, in all that it does. It also means that the citizens of Oklahoma City can take pride that in the midst is one of America’s best museums.”

Accreditation is a rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, consider the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.

“Accreditation assures the people of Oklahoma City that their museum is among the finest in the nation,” said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. “As a result, the citizens can take considerable pride in their institution, for its commitment to excellence and for the value it brings to the community.”

ABOUT OKCMOA
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art serves over 135,000 visitors annually from all fifty states and over thirty foreign countries and presents exhibitions drawn from throughout the world. The Museum’s collection covers a period of five centuries with highlights in European and American art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and a growing collection of contemporary art as well as a comprehensive collection of glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. The Museum boasts the region’s premiere repertoire cinema, which presents the finest international, independent, and classic films. Amenities include the Museum School, which offers classes for students of all ages as well as fall, winter, and summer art camps for youths; a library; the Museum Store, a roof terrace, and the Museum Cafe, a full-service restaurant, offering lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, afternoon tea, a full bar, and catering services.

The American Association 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. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future.

www.aam-us.org

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