AAM Restores MNA's Accreditation

On August 8, the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff received word from the American Association of Museums (AAM) that its accreditation by the AAM had been restored. AAM accreditation is the highest national recognition for a museum, signifying excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.

In its letter to MNA, the AAM Accreditation Commission stated, MNA “has done a considerable and commendable amount of work to re-earn accreditation. You are setting a standard for transparency in operations. We applaud the extensive work you have done in the area of collections stewardship and your new fiscal philosophies to build long term sustainability. While the museum still has work ahead of it, you identified and faced your problems, and are living within your means and moving ahead prudently”.

AAM 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 35 years, AAM’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.

On December 3, 2003, MNA’s accreditation was withdrawn by AAM’s Accreditation Commission in response to the sale of 21 pieces from its collections by MNA’s former administration and board of trustees. The funds were used to finance an operating deficit, violating the Museum’s own collection policies. Under new leadership and wanting to regain accreditation as soon as possible, in December 2004 (one year later), MNA sent its accreditation application to the AAM and was accepted into the accreditation program in February 2005. MNA completed and submitted its self-study ahead of schedule in August 2006 and received interim accreditation on March 26, 2007. On August 8, 2008 MNA officially received word from AAM that it had been granted full accreditation by the commission.

MNA Director Robert Breunig stated, “All of us at MNA are extremely happy and proud about the restoration of our accreditation by the American Association of Museums. Our staff and board worked very hard over the past few years to complete the accreditation process and to restore our good name.”

“The 2003 loss of accreditation was a significant event in the life of this museum,” continued Breunig, “However, we used the accreditation self-study process as a framework for a complete and thorough institutional evaluation. By returning MNA to the community of accredited institutions, we hope we have regained the public’s trust in the professionalism and high standards governing the operation of this museum.”

“Since its founding in 1928, the Museum of Northern Arizona has exemplified leadership,” Breunig continues. “It was the first private museum in Arizona and one of the earliest in the West. It had early and significant programs in regional research, art education, and collections. Over its 80-year history, MNA has developed a major regional collection, advanced research about the Colorado Plateau, sponsored innovative educational programs, and presented award-winning exhibitions, festivals, and publications.”

MNA was one of the first institutions in Arizona to be awarded AAM accreditation, receiving this status in 1973, just two years after the establishment of the accreditation program. Since then, it has received two subsequent reaccreditations before its recent recognition.

Accreditation is a very rigorous, but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, consider the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as much as three years.  A description of MNA's process for AAM Accreditation is available.

Of the nation’s nearly 17,500 museums, about 775 are currently accredited. The Museum of Northern Arizona is one of only eleven museums accredited in Arizona.

The Museum of Northern Arizona is one of the most important regional museums in the U.S. It was a pioneer of research on the Colorado Plateau. Today MNA’s comprehensive collection of natural and cultural history constitutes a unique historical record representing scientific exploration, research, and aesthetic appreciation over the past century. The MNA collections tell a compelling story about the natural environment and the people of this region throughout time.

MNA holds over 600,000 artifacts in its permanent collections of anthropology, geology and paleontology, biology, and fine art from Native and non-Native artists dating from the 1860s. It also houses extensive federal and tribal research collections, and a significant library and photo archive collection. Construction has begun on MNA’s new Easton Collection Center, a sustainable green building with state-of-the-art storage facilities. This new center aims to be a place that is sensitive to cultural needs, is aesthetically pleasing, and provides enhanced access for visitors and researchers.

The Museum is located at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

The American Association 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. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to enduring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present, and future. For more information, visit aam-us.org.