The Wichita Falls Museum of Art has achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), 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.

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. 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.

“Strides toward accreditation began almost a decade ago, and the achievement is a credit to the dedicated and thoughtful work and guidance of many people at MSU Texas, on the Museum Advisory Board and staff, and in our community,” WFMA Director Tracee Robertson said. “We are poised to carry this work forward as we continue to pursue excellence in the service of our audiences. As a new arrival to the Museum and community, I couldn’t ask for a greater vote of confidence in the Museum’s value and mission. I’m grateful for the opportunities this prestigious recognition affords – we aim to capture them all!”

Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, over 1,070 are currently accredited. WFMA is one of only 48 museums accredited in Texas.

Accreditation is a rigorous but 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. The Alliance’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 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.