The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

association whose goal is to bring

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

s together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward." AAM represents the scope of museums, professionals, and nonpaid staff who work for and with museums. AAM represents more than 25,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, 4,000 institutions, and 150 corporate members. Individual members include directors,

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

s, registrars, educators, exhibit designers,

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

officers, development officers, security managers, trustees, and volunteers. Museums represented by the members include

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

, history,

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

, military, maritime, and youth museums, as well as

public aquarium A public aquarium () or public water zoo is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and aquatic plant, plant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, ...

s, zoos,

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

s, historic sites, and science and technology centers. At the 2014 American Alliance of Museums conference, the

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for librar ...

announced there are now at least 35,000 museums in the US.

History

An informal meeting was held at the National Museum in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on December 21, 1905, for the "purpose of discussing the advisability of endeavoring to establish an association of the museums of America." Major events in the history of the Alliance include: * 1906: Founding * 1911: Directory of North and South American museums published * 1923: Headquarters established in the tower of the Smithsonian Castle in

* 1925: Code of Ethics for Museum Workers adopted * 1925: $2,500 grant from the

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

for research on museum fatigue * 1961: Museum directory published (4,600 institutions) * 1964: Museums included in the National Arts and Cultural Development Act * 1966: National Museum Act passed * 1968: Belmont Report recommends developing an accreditation program to help support museums * 1969: Accreditation program created on the recommendation of a committee chaired by Holman J. Swinney * 1971: The Public Museum of Grand Rapids and fifteen additional museums are the first accredited * 1976: New constitution adopted * 1980: Museum Assessment Program (MAP) created on the recommendation of a committee chaired by E. Alvin Gearhardt, with MAP supported through a cooperative agreement with IMS, the Institute of Museum Services (later renamed IMLS, the Institute of Museum and Library Services) * 2003: Launch of the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal (NEPIP) * 2006: Year of the Museum – 100th anniversary of AAM * 2009: First Comprehensive Strategic Plan "The Spark" adopted * 2012: Name changed to "American Alliance of Museums"

Media and Technology Committee

Media and Technology (M&T) is a Professional Network of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). The M&T Network is the AAM link between museums and media technologies. It identifies, examines, and advocates appropriate uses of media technologies in helping museums meet the needs of their public. Membership is limited to institutions or individuals that are members of AAM.

Presidents/Chairpersons

* Hermon Carey Bumpus (1906–1907), director of the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

* William M.R. French (1907–1908), director of the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

* William Jacob Holland (1908–1909), director of the

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a nonprofit organization that operates four museums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The organization is headquartered in the Carnegie Institute and Library complex in the Oakland neighborhood of Pitts ...

* Frederic A. Lucas (1909–1910), director of the

* Frederick J.V. Skiff (1910–1911), director of the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

* Edward S. Morse (1911–1912), director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology * Henry L. Ward (1912–1913), director of the

Milwaukee Public Museum The Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin (formerly known as Milwaukee Public Museum) is a natural and human history museum in the Westown neighborhood of Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public ...

Benjamin Ives Gilman Benjamin Ives Gilman (1852–1933) was notable as the Secretary of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts from 1893 to 1925. Beginning with the museum as a curator and librarian, he held a variety of positions during this time. As Secretary, he focused ...

(1913–1914), secretary of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

* Oliver C. Farrington (1914–1916), curator,

* Henry R. Howland (1916–1918), director of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences * Newton H. Carpenter (1918–1918), executive secretary of the

* William Powell Wilson (1918–1919) director of the Philadelphia Commercial Museum * Paul M. Rea (1919–1921), director of the

Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1773, it is the oldest museum in the United States. Its collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decorative ...

* Frederic Allen Whiting (1921–1923), director of the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

* Chauncey J. Hamlin (1923–1929), president of the Buffalo Society of Natural Science and a founder of ICOM *

Fiske Kimball Sidney Fiske Kimball (1888 – 1955) was an American architect, architectural historian and museum director. A pioneer in the field of architectural preservation in the United States, he played a leading part in the restoration of Montice ...

(1929–1932), director of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

* Paul J. Sachs (1932–1936), associate director of the Fogg Art Museum,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

* Herbert E. Winlock (1936–1938), director of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

* Clark Wissler (1938–1945), curator of the Department of Anthropology, Yale University * David E. Finley (1945–1949), director of the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

and chairman of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

* George Harold Edgell (1949–1951), director of the

* Albert E. Parr (1951–1953), director of the

* William M. Milliken (1953–1957), director of the

* Edward P. Alexander (1957–1960), vice president for interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation * Froelich G. Rainey (1960–1963), director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

* Charles Van Ravenswaay (1963–1966), director of the

Missouri Historical Society The Missouri Historical Society was founded in St. Louis on August 11, 1866. Founding members created the historical society "for the purpose of saving from oblivion the early history of the city and state". Organization The Missouri Historica ...

* Charles Parkhurst (1966–1968), director of the

Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of modern art, ...

* William C. Steere (1968–1970), president, the

New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...

* James M. Brown III (1970–1972), director of the

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, United States, which opened in 1936. The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the supp ...

* Charles E. Buckley (1972–1974), director of the

Saint Louis Art Museum The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is an art museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. With paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from around the world, its three-story building stands in Forest Park in ...

* Joseph M. Chamberlain (1974–75), director and president of

Adler Planetarium The Adler Planetarium is a public museum in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1930 by local businessman Max Adler (Sears), Max Adler. Located on the northeastern tip of Northerly Island on Lake Michigan ...

* Joseph Veach Noble (1975–1978), director of the

Museum of the City of New York The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a history and art museum in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It was founded by Henry Collins Brown, in 1923Beard, Rick. "Museum of the City of New York" in to preserve and present the history ...

* M. Kenneth Starr (1978–1980), director of

* Craig Call Black, director of

Carnegie Museum of Natural History The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by List of people from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Pit ...

* Dan Monroe, director of Portland Art Museum * Robert MacDonald (1985–1988), director of the

* W. Richard West (1998–2000), director of the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

* Louis Casagrande (2002–2004), director of the Boston Children's Museum * Jeffrey Rudolph (2004–2006), director of the

California Science Center The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a state agency and science museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern Cali ...

* Irene Hirano (2006–2008), director of the Japanese American National Museum * Carl R. Nold (2008–2010), president and chief executive officer of Historic New England * Douglas G. Myers (2010–2012), executive director of San Diego Zoo Global * Meme Omogbai (2012–2014), chief operating officer of the Newark Museum * Kaywin Feldman (2014–2016), director and president of the

Minneapolis Institute of Art The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the List of largest art museums, largest ar ...

* Douglas Jones (2016–2018), director of the

Florida Museum of Natural History The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) is Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural history museum. Its main facilities are located at 3215 Hull Road on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, Gaine ...

* Kippen de Alba Chu (2018–2020), executive director of Iolani Palace * Chevy Humphrey (2020–2022), president and CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

Directors/Presidents

* Charles R. Richards (1923–1927), director of

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

* Laurence Vail Coleman (1927–1958) * Joseph Allen Patterson (1958–1967) * Kyran M. McGrath (1968–1975) * Richard McLanathan (1975–1978) * Lawrence L. Reger (1978–1986) * Edward H. Able (1986–2006) * Ford Watson Bell (2007–2015) * Laura L. Lott (2015–2023) * Marilyn Jackson (2024-present)

References

External links