Newport Art Museum Announces its Recent Reaccreditation

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT:
Merrill Allen
Director of Marketing
Newport Art Museum
76 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 619-7999
mallen@newportartmuseum.org

(Newport, RI – July 20, 2021) – The Newport Art Museum received confirmation of its reaccreditation with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) on July 15, 2021. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,070 are currently accredited.

As the ultimate mark of distinction in the museum field, accreditation signifies excellence and credibility to the entire museum community, governments and outside agencies, philanthropic donors, and the museum-going public. For over 45 years, AAM’s museum accreditation program has been the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. Accreditation helps to ensure the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforces the educational and public service roles of museums, and promotes good governance practices and ethical behavior.

“Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by its peers, the museum has shown to be a good steward of its resources held in the public trust and committed to a philosophy of continual institutional growth,” wrote Evans Richardson, Chair, Accreditation Commission; Chief of Staff, the Studio Museum in Harlem, in his congratulatory letter. “Since its last accreditation, the Newport Art Museum has made a number of notable strides in its operations, mission, facilities, and management to ensure relevancy and greater sustainability.”

“I’m extremely proud of the excellent work we’ve done and progress we’ve made over the past few years,” said Norah Diedrich, Executive Director of the Newport Art Museum. “I loudly applaud our museum staff and trustees, as well as all of our community members who participated in the reaccreditation process and were instrumental in making this achievement possible. This important recognition is all the more meaningful considering the fact that much of our preparation took place while grappling with the challenges of a global health pandemic.”

“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura Lott, American Alliance of Museums President and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”

Newport Art Museum’s next reaccreditation review will take place in 2030.

For more information, please visit newportartmuseum.org.