Accreditation
Ford Bell, President of the Alliance, recognized the City for this great achievement at an event at the Lyceum on January 24, 2013.
The Office of Historic Alexandria is only one of eight municipal organizations across the country accredited for their museum systems. Other accredited Virginia museum systems include Fairfax County and Newport News.
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 40 years, the Alliance’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability.
Of the nation’s estimated 21,000 museums, 995 are currently accredited, as well as 69 museum systems. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a two-person team of peers. The Accreditation Commission, an autonomous body of museum professionals appointed by the Alliance Board, considers the self-study and site visit report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.
The Office of Historic Alexandria
The Office of Historic Alexandria accreditation includes all of the museums owned and operated by the City of Alexandria. Fort Ward, Gadsby's Tavern and The Lyceum were re-accredited, while the other sites were accredited for the first time.
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. With more than 18,000 individual, 3,000 institutional and 300 corporate members, the Alliance is dedicated to ensuring 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 about the Alliance and the Accreditation Program, including a complete list of accredited museums, please visit www.aam-us.org.
Accredited Museum
International Coalition of Sites of Conscience
Historic Alexandria has been accepted as a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. The Coalition has more than 300 members in 65 countries and works to connect past struggles to today’s movements for human rights.
The mission of the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria is to preserve and share the past to enrich the present and inspire the future. Each historic site and landscape helps create those connections of past to present. As part of the City’s equity and inclusion initiatives, the department provides opportunities for residents and guests to explore difficult historical topics and their legacies today.
“We are so very honored to be part of this larger community of historic sites and places across the globe. It challenges us to do more and supports us as we work towards a more equitable Alexandria,” said Gretchen Bulova, director of Historic Alexandria.