Spring 2025

The New Britain Museum of American Art has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.

Of Connecticut’s estimated 700 museums, only 22 are accredited, with 12 of these being art museums. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, roughly 1,100 are currently accredited.

Alliance 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 over fifty years, the Alliance’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 to provide the best possible service to the public.

"This is the culmination of a year-long and highly detailed process of review around our operations and public pursuit of mission, says Executive Director & CEO Brett Abbott. “We are incredibly proud of our performance as an organization this year, from the security in the galleries, to the dynamic learning programs going on across the site, the incredible collections and exhibitions on view, the warm welcome of our visitor services, the thoughtful planning of our administrative staff, the diligence of our facilities team, the enticing displays of our museum store, and the dedication of trustees, staff, and volunteers. This reaccreditation took work behind the scenes at every level. And at every turn, we excelled.”

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.