The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, has announced the reaccreditation of the Wichita Art Museum. WAM is one of 47 museums, including the Des Moines Art Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Smithsonian Gardens in Washington, D.C., to be awarded reaccreditation this year. Of the United States’ estimated 33,000 museums, only 1,099 are currently accredited.

Recognized as the museum field’s gold standard for excellence for more than 50 years, AAM accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Accreditation Program helps to ensure the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforce the educational and public service roles of museums, and promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.

Only 11 museums in Kansas are AAM-accredited. Including WAM, Wichita has four accredited museums: Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, Old Cowtown Museum and Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum.

WAM Director/CEO Anne Kraybill is available for media interviews. Call Teresa Veazey, public relations manager, at 316-268-4985 or email pr@wam.org.