Media Alert
January 16, 2024
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661

Richmond, VA – The Virginia Museum of History & Culture has been reaccredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national standard of recognition afforded the nation’s leading museums. Accreditation certifies that the museum meets the highest standards of excellence in all areas of its work, and it comes after a rigorous year-long review process that AAM member museums undergo every 10 years to maintain accredited status.

In the comprehensive report issued by AAM’s expert review committee, they offer high praise for the VMHC’s progress: “The strength of this museum is found first and foremost in the work it has done to reimagine itself as the museum for all Virginians. It has maintained its past with great respect and has woven it into the new institution’s persona. The transformation has been remarkable…it serves as a model museum in all areas.”

Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 50 years, AAM’s accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance and public accountability. It is designed to strengthen 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 public service. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, only 1,106 have achieved accredited status, a distinctive honor the VMHC shares with some of America’s most prestigious museums including the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Colonial Williamsburg. The VMHC has been accredited since 1998.

“The museum has progressed more rapidly than expected since the last review,” noted the AAM Review Committee. “The task they set for themselves was large and difficult but through proper leadership and board participation they have been able to meet and exceed their goals.”

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

The American Alliance of Museums has championed museums through advocacy, research, and professional networks since 1906. As an organization dedicated to supporting museums in their work as essential agents of knowledge and culture, AAM works to ensure that museums across the nation have the necessary resources to thrive. For more information, please visit http://www.aam-us.org/

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is the only institution dedicated to presenting the entire history of Virginia over time and across regions. Its nationally significant collection of more than 9 million objects, renowned research library, galleries and public programs demonstrate the centrality of Virginia to the narrative of the United States.

The VMHC is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation.