December 19, 2016

Alliance Welcomes 57 Army Museums As They Take the Pledge of Excellence

ARLINGTON, VA– The Army Museum Enterprise has adopted the excellence programs of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) as 57 Army museums in 23 states and abroad joined the Alliance and took the pledge of excellence on November 18, 2016.

The pledge is the first step along AAM’s path to excellence, which culminates in accreditation, the gold standard of museum excellence for more than 40 years.

“The Army Museum Enterprise aims for the highest level of excellence, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards,” said Dr. Charles Cureton, Chief Curator of the Army (Acting).  “So we’re excited to join the Alliance excellence programs, which will be impactful for us across the enterprise.”

The Pledge of Excellence reads: “My museum pledges that, in fulfillment of its educational mission, it will strive to operate according to national standards and best practices to the best of its abilities and in accordance with its resources.”

“Our nation’s military museums play a vital role in preserving our history and heritage, and also educating our communities about the remarkable service of our men and women in uniform today,” said Laura Lott, Alliance president and CEO. “We welcome the Army Museum Enterprise to the Alliance, and we look forward to celebrating more of their steps toward excellence and accreditation.”

Five U.S. Army museums are now accredited by AAM:

• Frontier Army Museum, Fort Leavenworth, KS
• U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, Fort Lee, VA
• U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, Fort Sam Houston, TX
• U.S. Army Women's Museum, Fort Lee, VA
• West Point Museum, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY

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. Representing more than 30,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

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Media Contact:

Joseph Klem
Director, Public Relations
American Alliance of Museums
202-218-7670
jklem@aam-us.org