Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science Receives Highest National Recognition
Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science Receives Highest National Recognition
Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science was initially accredited in 1977. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.
Alliance 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 50 years, the Alliance’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.
“This accreditation by the AAM recognizes the dedicated efforts of the Evansville Museum staff and Board of Trustees to further the Museum’s mission to utilize its permanent collection and resources to offer diverse educational experiences for the Tri- State region,” states Executive Director Mary McNamee Bower. “We partner every day with schools to support their curriculum; bolster local economy by spurring tourism; foster creativity and innovation; celebrate diverse cultures; and preserve our heritage by maintaining our permanent collection.”
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,103 are currently accredited. The Evansville Museum is one of only 29 museums accredited in Indiana.
Accreditation is a very 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, 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.
“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura L. Lott, Alliance President and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”
About the Museum
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science is one of Southwestern Indiana’s most respected cultural institutions. The Museum maintains a permanent collection of more than 40,000 objects, including fine art, decorative arts, historic documents and photographs, and anthropological artifacts. Also on the Museum’s campus is the Evansville Museum Transportation Center, featuring Southern Indiana transportation artifacts from the late-19th through the mid-20th centuries. The Museum’s Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium offers programs in astronomy and full-dome projection science films for all ages.
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.