“This recognition is the culmination of years of dedicated support by volunteers, staff, and community members,” says Executive Director Carrie Ronnander. “It reflects as much on Eau Claire and its commitment to arts and culture as it does on the Museum’s desire to by a dynamic gathering space that inspires curiosity.”
Chippewa Valley Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. Chippewa Valley Museum has been accredited since 1989. 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. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over fifty 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 to provide the best possible service to the public.
“This recognition is the culmination of years of dedicated support by volunteers, staff, and community members,” says Executive Director Carrie Ronnander. “It reflects as much on Eau Claire and its commitment to arts and culture as it does on the Museum’s desire to by a dynamic gathering space that inspires curiosity.”
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, roughly 1,100 are currently accredited. Chippewa Valley Museum is one of only 19 museums accredited in Wisconsin and only three in all of northern, central, and Western Wisconsin. The closest accredited museums are Cable Natural History Museum and Leigh Yawkey Art Museum.
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.
“Accreditation is a monumental achievement,” said Marilyn Jackson, AAM President & CEO. “The process demonstrates an institution’s commitment to best practice and is flexible enough to be accomplished by museums of any size.” Marise McDermott, Chair of the Accreditation Commission, highlighted the museum’s strength in her award letter, “We commend the Chippewa Valley Museum (including the Wisconsin Logging Museum and Schlegelmilch House) for its spirit of innovation, frank assessment of its challenges and opportunities, and willingness to take calculated risks to advance the institution. Relative to its size, we are impressed by the diversity and healthy mix of revenue sources, which bode well for the organization’s future.”
The Chippewa Valley Museum is open 5-8pm Tuesdays, noon-5pm Wednesday through Friday, 10am-5pm Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday. For more information check out the website at cvmuseum.com.
