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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2009

Contact: Stephen Perkins, Executive Director

802-447-1571

sperkins@benningtonmuseum.org

Bennington Museum Receives Highest National Recognition Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Association of Museums

Bennington Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM) the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funding sources, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The museum was initially accredited in 1972. Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. The Bennington Museum is one of only five museums accredited in Vermont, and one of the 94 nationwide that has received accreditation four times consecutively.

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 ─ all in order to provide the best possible service to the public.

“Institutions such as the Bennington Museum are vital to the cultural fabric of communities all across America," said AAM president Ford W. Bell. "Re-accreditation is emblematic of the commitment to public service and overall excellence that has made the Bennington Museum one of the country's best. Attaining this honor involves taking a hard look at yourself, allowing your peers in the field to do the same, and being judged to be superior in all areas. The people of Bennington can take great pride in the fact that their local institution is one of America’s premier museums.”

All museums must go through re-accreditation approximately every 10 years. 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 and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. In speaking of the Bennington Museum, a member of the accreditation team said, “We found a well-run, model institution whose staff and trustees shared a vision and mission for moving the organization forward and are committed to making it work for the benefit of the community.”

The American Association of Museums (AAM) 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 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.

The Bennington Museum is located at 75 Main Street (Route 9), Bennington in The Shires of Vermont. The museum is just a short ride from Manchester, Williamstown, and eastern New York. In September and October, the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the museum at www.benningtonmuseum.org or call 802-447-1571 for more information on the museum, its exhibits, events, programs and general information.