PRESS
RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December
17, 2010
Contact:
Peggy Gregorski, Development Coordinator
262-653-4428
KENOSHA
PUBLIC MUSEUMS RECEIVE NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
KENOSHA,
WI - The American Association of Museums (AAM) announced that the
Kenosha Public Museums have been awarded accreditation, the highest
national recognition achievable by an American museum. It is the
fourth time the Kenosha Public Museum has been accredited and the
first time the Dinosaur Discovery Museum and Civil War Museum have
been accredited. The American Association of Museums reviewed and
accredited the Kenosha Public Museums as a museum system for the
first time.
Accreditation
recognizes high standards in individual museums and ensures that
museums continue to uphold their public trust. Developed and
sustained by museum professionals for more than 35 years, AAM’s
museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for
quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability.
Accredited museums represent the breadth and scope of America’s
museums, encompassing all types and sizes of institutions and every
region of the country. Of all of the museums, aquariums, zoos, and
science centers in the country, 777 have achieved accreditation by
AAM, including only 16 institutions in Wisconsin.
“Accreditation
is an entirely self-motivated process, and is no small task,” said
Ford W. Bell, AAM president. “Accreditation is clearly a
significant achievement. But put simply, it means the citizens of the
communities served by these museums have in their midst one of
America’s finest museums.”
Museums
Director Paula Touhey commented, “The accreditation process is
monumental and accreditation as a museum system is a great source of
pride for the Kenosha Public Museums. It represents our commitment to
our community, visitors and members to maintain the highest standards
in every respect as we operate on a daily basis and as we plan for
the future. AAM accreditation is a recognized “vote of confidence”
when developing cultural tourism, attracting donors and soliciting
grants. None of this would be possible without the support of the
Museum Board of Trustees, the Friends of the Museums, the Kenosha
Public Museums Foundation and the City of Kenosha and Common Council.
We are grateful for their support and honored by this recognition.”
In
its final Accreditation Narrative Report, the AAM site review
committee noted the following:
The
Kenosha Public Museums enjoy a depth of civic and community support
that has underwritten over a decade of capacity building and program
growth. As a a result, the museums are well positioned to
successfully address challenges and to sustain and exemplary level of
performance fort he long term. In sum, we found a museum that has
taken advantage of the opportunity presented by Kenosha lakeshore
development efforts to design, build and furnish two museum
facilities, renovate a third and become a model mid-sized,
multidisciplinary museum. In the thirteen years since it was
re-accredited in 1997, Kenosha Public Museum has become Kenosha
Public Museums. It exemplifies what a community with visionary
leadership can accomplish. Today, KPM is blessed with three
state-of-the-art facilities staffed by informed energetic
professionals, equipped with interpretive exhibits, classrooms,
laboratories and storage rooms, serving a regional audience of
300,000 visitors per year.
The
Accreditation process assesses the museums commitment to
institutional improvement and its achievement regarding maintaining
the highest standards in collections stewardship, governance,
institutional planning, ethics, education and interpretation and risk
management. AAM accreditation signifies excellence and
accountability to the entire museum community, to governments and
outside agencies and to the museum-going public.
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--
Kris Kochman
Special Events Coordinator
Kenosha Public Museums
262-653-4406
kkochman@kenosha.org
