For Immediate Release
Arlington, VA–Today, the American Alliance of Museums, the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum field, issued a statement in response to the growing threats of censorship against U.S. museums:
Our country’s 22,000 museums are cornerstones of their communities and are among the most trusted institutions in American life. They tell our nation’s stories from multiple perspectives, welcome people of all ages and backgrounds, contribute billions to the U.S. economy each year, serve communities both rural and urban, and protect the heritage we all share.
In recent months, museums have faced increasing external pressures to modify, remove, or limit exhibitions and programs. People trust museums because they rely on independent scholarship and research, uphold high professional standards, and embrace open inquiry. When any directive dictates what should or should not be displayed, it risks narrowing the public’s window into evidence, ideas, and a full range of perspectives.
This is not just a concern for select institutions. These pressures can create a chilling effect across the entire museum sector. Freedom of thought and expression are foundational American values, and museums uphold them by creating spaces where people can engage with history, science, art, and culture in ways that are honest, fact-based, and thought-provoking.
We stand with the hundreds of thousands of museum professionals in the U.S. who protect our heritage, conserve species, create unforgettable experiences, and serve their communities with integrity. We call on all who value our shared heritage to support the museum field in resisting censorship, so museums can continue to educate, connect, and inspire.
America needs museums and the professionals who steward them. They educate, connect, and help us understand one another—something we can’t afford to lose.
About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. Since 1906, we have been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward.
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Press Contact:
Natanya Khashan
There is little doubt that museums (alongside libraries and archives) in the U.S. are institutions that are trusted by the public for their honesty, integrity and professional standards. Censorship and its unpleasant impacts erode that trust. As a consequence, public support for and interest in museums progressively declines in a downward spiral.
All those of us who work in and for museums internationally have been watching events in the U.S. unfold with increasing concern. I believe that the AAM and the many thousands of museums that it represents can be assured of the support of the international museums sector in these difficult times.
Hi,
Thank you for the strong message. We stand by you and follow the developments in US with great concern. We know that the decline of rights, democracy and plain decency is a world-wide tendency and we see it here too. From several European countries we have reports of serious systematic attacs on freedom of knowledge based work in museums. Our response and advice to museums is to stay united and diversify your revenue and other resources to protect your freedom.
Kind regards
Henrik Zipsane
Museums are the soul of a nation and should not be used or mutilated for the sake of a political agenda.