Fisher reaccredited by national museum association

The USC Fisher Museum of Art has been reaccredited by the American Association of Museums, making the museum one of four AAM-accredited art museums in the Los Angeles area.

AAM announced the reaccreditation of the Fisher Museum in late August, giving the museum the highest possible national recognition for an American museum, which it will hold until 2023. The Fisher Museum was accredited about 15 years ago, but to keep the accreditation the museum must reapply every 10 to 15 years.

AAM is the largest service organization for museums. The organization advocates on behalf of museums and operates the accreditation program, which establishes standards for museums throughout the country.

The other accredited museums in Los Angeles are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

“Accreditation is basically like a good housekeeping seal of approval for museums,” said Dewey Blanton, AAM senior manager in media relations.

The accreditation process is self-motivated, in that museums choose to undergo the process. The museum first completes a detailed self-study, analyzing all of its operations: financial stability, public programs and community outreach.

Then, a volunteer museum professional assigned by the AAM will spend two to three days checking the museum against its self-study and ensuring that the facilities are well kept. Finally, once both reports are completed, a panel of museum leaders from the AAM will evaluate the reports and give a final verdict.

This entire process can take two to three years, depending on how fast the museums can collect and synthesize all of their information.

“Accreditation is emblematic of the museum meeting and exceeding the standards and best practices,” Blanton said.

For the Fisher Museum, accreditation means everything, said Selma Holo, director of the Fisher Museum.

“We’re operating at the highest level of museums,” Holo, who has served as the museum’s director since 1981, said. “Because we’re accredited, we know how to take care of the art.”

However, as the years go on, the accreditation process becomes more difficult, Holo said. The recent accreditation is a testament to how the museum has committed itself to improving its already varied and interesting traveling exhibitions and to reaching out to the school and surrounding community, Holo said.

Fisher programs such as the Art in the Village partnership helped the museum go above and beyond basic standards in the accreditation process, Holo said.

“[The program] breaks down the barriers between younger children and museums,” Holo said.

In the program, children from schools near USC are given art projects during the year by the students and staff who work at Fisher. At the end of the year, Fisher hosts a collection of the children’s best art.

“Fisher has been so integrated into the educational fabric of USC; it’s part of campus life,” Blanton said, adding that this made the museum stand out to AAM.

Less than 10 percent of university museums are accredited, Blanton said. Fisher distinguishes itself by its total investment in the school, students and community. All of its exhibits and programs focus on “letting people see things differently, which is why art, especially contemporary art, is so important,” Holo said.

Holo hopes the reaccreditation will put Fisher in the campus and community spotlight.

“I know that our product is good and our content is good,” Holo said. “We just have to find a way to let other people know.”

The Fisher Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday noon to 4 p.m. All exhibitions and events are free.