For Immediate Release
Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 8 first time accreditation and 40 reaccreditation awards made at the June 2025 meeting of the Accreditation Commission. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1122 are currently accredited.
Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by their peers, these museums have demonstrated they meet standards and best practices, and are educational entities that are appropriate stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust.
Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for 55 years, AAM accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Accreditation Program ensures the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforces the educational and public service roles of museums, and promotes good governance practices and ethical behavior.
First-time Accreditation:
- Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC
- Edison and Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers, FL
- Eudora Welty House & Garden, Jackson, MS
- Museum of Mississippi History, Jackson, MS
- Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, MS
- Planting Fields Foundation, Oyster Bay, NY,
- The Nature Center at Steele Creek Park, Bristol, TN
- Yellowstone County Museum, Billings, MT
Reaccreditation:
- Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK
- Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
- Bean Life Science Museum, Provo, UT
- Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County, Libertyville, IL
- Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo, NY
- C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT
- California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA
- Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
- Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Washington, DC
- David Owsley Museum of Art, Muncie, IN
- Discovery Place Science, Charlotte, NC
- Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA
- Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
- Gateway Arch National Park, Saint Louis, MO
- Georgia Southern University Museum, Statesboro, GA
- Greensboro History Museum, Greensboro, NC
- Greensboro Science Center, Greensboro, NC
- Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Bloomington, IN
- Magnolia Mound, Baton Rouge, LA
- Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, Natchez, MS
- MoSH – Memphis Museum of Science & History, Memphis, TN
- Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
- Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA
- National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA
- National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
- New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA
- Oregon Historical Society, Portland, OR
- Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, Claremont, CA
- Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
- Saginaw Art Museum & Gardens, Saginaw, MI
- San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX
- Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY
- Sioux City Public Museum, Sioux City, IA
- Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa, FL
- The Columbus Museum, Columbus, GA
- The Strong, Rochester, NY
- Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
- Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, VA
To earn accreditation, a museum submits a self-study questionnaire and key operational documents for evaluation, then undergoes a site visit by a two-person team of peer reviewers which produces a report for the Accreditation Commission. The Commission uses these materials and its collective expertise to determine whether to grant accreditation.
The Accreditation Commission meets 3 times a year (February, June, and October) and can make one of the following decisions:
- Grant accreditation (usually for 10 years)
- Table its decision for 1 year so specific issues can be addressed
- Deny accreditation due to failure to meet multiple Core Standards
- Defer a decision to gather additional information
A museum’s accredited status is not changed during a period in which a decision is tabled or deferred.
Read more about the Alliance’s Accreditation Program.
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
