MOCA Achieved Accreditation

MOCA Jacksonville Accredited by American Alliance of Museums

The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a cultural institute of the University of North Florida, is delighted to announce that it has achieved accreditation through the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded to American museums. MOCA is among 35 museums to earn accreditation or reaccreditation during the AAM Accreditation Commission’s most recent cycle.

“After the huge success of MOCA’s 100^th anniversary last year, where we saw our highest ever visitation, community engagement, and growth, it is particularly exciting to announce the successful completion of this important anniversary project!” says Caitlín Doherty, Executive Director of MOCA Jacksonville. “As the first museum in Jacksonville to earn accreditation in the early 1970s while housed on Art Museum Drive, it was of great significance to seek this prestigious national recognition during our milestone year to become accredited for the first time in our current location. I am thrilled to announce that MOCA Jacksonville is once again a fully accredited museum as we move into our next century of serving this community through art, artists, and ideas!”

MOCA’s strength and sustainability as it entered into the accreditation process is due, in part, to the support of the University of North Florida. In 2009, MOCA became a cultural institute of the University of North Florida, creating a turning point for the museum and bringing its ongoing themes of art and education full circle. The support of UNF broadens the museum’s reach and capabilities, while creating opportunities for meaningful work that impacts the community and supports student learning opportunities.

Dr. Moez Limayem, President of the University of North Florida notes, “UNF’s museum, MOCA Jacksonville, is an important asset to the University and our region. MOCA provides amazing cultural experiences for the community as well as unprecedented opportunities for our art faculty and students. From internships to research fellowships, our students gain valuable hands-on experience at MOCA.”

MOCA is now counted among the only 3% of currently accredited museums of the estimated 33,000 museums across the US. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. It indicates that a museum meets the National Standards and Best Practices for U.S. Museums and joins a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to a high standard of excellence. Accreditation is determined through a process of self-assessment and peer-review, and relies on the institution proving itself to be a good steward of its resources held in the public trust and a commitment to a philosophy of continual institutional growth.

“The museum is clearly a vibrant center of art, artists, ideas, and creative community engagement,” says Marise McDermott, Chair of the American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Commission and President Emeritus of the Witte Museum. “The staff, board, University, and the community are to be congratulated for stewarding an exemplary, public-facing art museum for the benefit of students and the Jacksonville community. It is a model for how a town-gown museum can operate successfully in both worlds. Congratulations on this achievement. I know everyone at the museum has worked hard to earn this honor.”

Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 50 years, the AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability.

“This important milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the MOCA team,” says Anne Joseph, Chair of MOCA’s Board of Trustees. “This was a more than year-long process, and a core initiative of our 100^th Year Anniversary vision. I am so proud that the hard work our staff has been doing for years, and the museum’s century of commitment to serving the Jacksonville community, have been recognized and validated by the American Alliance of Museums. This high profile, peer-based evaluation of the museum’s operations and impact not only increase MOCA’s credibility and value to stakeholders, it sets the museum apart in the field and is a powerful tool to help create and leverage relationships with peer institutions. This only means great things for the Jacksonville community, as it looks ahead to a future filled with exhibitions, installations, and loans of artwork of the highest caliber, and all in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville.”

ABOUT AAM ACCREDITATION

Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for nearly 55 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 ensures the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforces the educational and public service roles of museums, and promotes good governance practices and ethical behavior.

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 determine whether to grant accreditation.

The Accreditation Commission meets 3 times a year (February, June, and October) and can make one of the following decisions:

• Grant accreditation (usually for 10 years)
• Table its decision for 1 year so specific issues can be addressed
• Deny accreditation due to failure to meet multiple Core Standards
• Defer a decision to gather additional information

A museum’s accredited status is not changed during a period in which a decision is tabled or deferred.

Read more about the Alliance’s Accreditation Program.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. 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.