SAMA Earns Honor, Announces New Board Member

SAMA re-accredited by AAM

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, announced on Nov. 22, 2022, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art has earned re-accreditation. Of the United States’ estimated 33,000 museums, only 1,099 have earned the standing of currently accredited. In Pennsylvania alone, there are only 35 institutions with this achievement.

From art and history museums to science centers and zoos, AAM is the only organization representing the entire museum field. Since 1906, they have been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward. Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for over 50 years, AAM accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Accreditation Program helps to ensure the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforce the educational and public service roles of museums, and promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.

Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by their peers, these museums have demonstrated they meet standards and best practices and are educational entities that are appropriate stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust. To earn accreditation, a museum submits a self-study questionnaire and key operational documents for evaluation, then undergoes a site visit by a two-person team of peer reviewers which produces a report for the Accreditation Commission. The Commission uses these materials and its collective expertise to decide whether to grant re-accreditation for 10 years, deny re-accreditation, or defer to gather more information. Read more about the Alliance’s Accreditation program at https://www.aam-us.org/programs/accreditation-excellence-programs/accreditation/.

Re-accreditation is a year’s long process, where every aspect of the museum’s operations, scholarship, and conservation efforts is analyzed and evaluated. With five facilities across Pennsylvania, SAMA poses a unique subject for evaluating institutions such as the American Alliance of Museums. Over the past two years, SAMA’s staff and Board of Trustees have worked with the American Alliance of Museums to present the museum’s strategic plan, operating procedures, and hundreds of pages worth of reports. The American Alliance of Museum’s team then evaluates the museums based on in-person visits, documentation, and decades of information.

New member to the Board of Trustees

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Loretto is pleased to announce our newest Board of Trustee member, Ehrin Ward. Ward will join existing members in overseeing the organization and representing SAMA proudly in the six counties we serve Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland. Together they will fulfill SAMA’s mission to preserve, exhibit, and advance American art and bring educational and cultural programs and activities to the people of the southwestern area of central Pennsylvania.

Ward has a background in Fine Art and Textile Design. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Albright College in Reading, PA with a major in Fine Art and a minor in Fashion Illustration. Ward continued her studies receiving a master’s degree in Textile Design from Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University) in Philadelphia.

Ward has always had a passion for the arts, both visual and performing. She enjoys watercolor painting and illustration and is happy to be part of SAMA’s community.