OSU Museum of Art receives highest national recognition awarded accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums

(STILLWATER, Oklahoma, Sept. 7, 2021) — The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art has achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, 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. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 45 years, the Alliance’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. 

“Attaining AAM accreditation has been a goal of the museum since its inception in 2013,” said Victoria Berry, OSU Museum of Art director and chief curator.

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 before undergoing a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. 

“Our process was more lengthy than usual with the site visit delayed twice and eventually conducted through a three-day Zoom meeting due to the pandemic,” Berry said. “Our staff, advisory board and an extensive list of colleagues from across the campus worked tirelessly to achieve excellence in museum standards and best practices. Achieving this goal sets us up for continued success in the future.”

Of the nation’s estimated 35,000 museums, almost 1,100 are currently accredited. The OSU Museum of Art is one of only nine museums accredited in Oklahoma.  

“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.” 

“In nine short years of existence, our museum has raised the bar by educating OSU students, faculty, staff and our community about the importance of art,” said Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU president. “Congratulations to Vicky Berry and her team on achieving this prestigious status and for helping OSU lead the nation in museums’ best practices.”

Vision and Visionary: The Paintings and Drawings of Moh’d Bilbeisi and Sun Patterns, Dark Canyon: The Paintings and Aquatints of Doel Reed (1894-1985) are currently on view at the OSU Museum of Art.