The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) has been granted Reaccreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This is the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,106 are currently accredited. SJMA is one of only 78 museums accredited in the state of California.
“We are honored to once again to receive our accreditation from the Alliance. This award signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public and gives them confidence that we are operating with high professional standards and practices. It is also a tribute to our staff. We could not have achieved this milestone without their hard work and dedication,” said S. Sayre Batton, Oshman Executive Director, San José Museum of Art.
SJMA was initially accredited in 2000 and has maintained its status since that year. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status. Alliance Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement.
“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura L. Lott, Alliance President and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”
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.
The report by the Visiting Committee of the Alliance recognized the incredible efforts of our leadership and staff, over the past 10 years, to find new ways to bring the Museum’s collection and programs to the diverse communities of San José and Silicon Valley.
“Their goal of being a “borderless” museum is felt by everyone we spoke to, and applies to many areas of their work,” stated the American Alliance of Museum’s visiting committee in its site visit report. “Capturing the diversity of their community is at the forefront of SJMA’s work—notable in its use of multilingual labels across the museum (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese), in the content of the exhibitions and collections, in the diversity of the staff and board, in the abundance of educational programs and free admission for children in Title 1 schools, and more.”
Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 50 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 in order to provide the best possible service to the public.
SUPPORT
Operations and programs at the San José Museum of Art are made possible by principal support from SJMA’s Board of Trustees, a Cultural Affairs Grant from the City of San José, and the Lipman Family Foundation; by lead support from the Adobe Foundation, Toby and Barry Fernald, Brook Hartzell and Tad Freese, the Institute of Museums and Library Services, the Richard A. Karp Charitable Foundation, Tammy and Tom Kiely, Kimberly and Patrick Lin, Sally Lucas, Yvonne and Mike Nevens, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Skyline Foundation, and the SJMA Director's Council and Council of 100; and with significant endowment support from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and the San José Museum of Art Endowment Fund established by the Knight Foundation at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART
The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) is a contemporary art museum dedicated to inclusivity, new thinking, and visionary ideas. Founded in 1969 by artists and community leaders, its dynamic exhibitions, collection, and programs resonate with defining characteristics of San José and the Silicon Valley—from its rich diversity to its hallmark innovative ethos. The Museum offers lifelong learning for school children and their educators, multigenerational families, creative adults, university students and faculty, and community groups. SJMA is committed to being a borderless museum, essential to creative life throughout the diverse communities of San José and beyond.
SJMA is located at 110 South Market Street in downtown San José, California. The Museum is open Thursday 4–9pm; Friday 11am–9pm; and Saturday–Sunday 11am–6pm. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and free to members, college students, youth and children ages 17 and under, and school teachers (with valid ID). Admission is free from 6–9pm on the first Friday of every month. For up-to-date information, call 408.271.6840 or visit SanJoseMuseumofArt.org.
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 35,000 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 aam-us.org.