American Association of Museums
Encyclopedia
The American Association of Museums (AAM) is a non-profit association that has brought museum
s together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community. AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future.
AAM is the only organization representing the entire scope of museums and professionals and nonpaid staff who work for and with museums. AAM currently represents more than 15,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, 3,000 institutions and 300 corporate members. Individual members span the range of occupations in museums, including directors, curator
s, registrars, educators, exhibit designers, public relations
officers, development officers, security managers, trustees and volunteers.
Every type of museum is represented by the more than 3,000 institutional members, including art, history, science
, military, maritime, and youth museum
s, as well as public aquarium
s, zoo
s, botanical garden
s, arboretum
s, historic sites, and science and technology centers.
, advocacy
, collaboration
and service
.
"The Spark" contains four goals: excellence, advocacy, sustainability and alignment.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community. AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future.
AAM is the only organization representing the entire scope of museums and professionals and nonpaid staff who work for and with museums. AAM currently represents more than 15,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, 3,000 institutions and 300 corporate members. Individual members span the range of occupations in museums, including directors, curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
s, registrars, educators, exhibit designers, public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
officers, development officers, security managers, trustees and volunteers.
Every type of museum is represented by the more than 3,000 institutional members, including art, history, science
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
, military, maritime, and youth museum
Children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
s, as well as public aquarium
Public aquarium
A public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
s, zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
s, botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The 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 a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s, arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
s, historic sites, and science and technology centers.
History
- 1906: Foundation
- 1911: Directory of North and South American museums published
- 1923: Headquarters established in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(offices in the tower of the Smithsonian Castle) - 1925: Code of Ethics for Museum Workers adopted
- 1925: $2,500 grant from the Carnegie Corporation 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
- 1976: New constitution adopted
Strategic Plan
"The Spark"http://aam-us.org/aboutaam/strategic.cfm is the first strategic plan in AAM’s recent history. It articulates a vision for museums, the field and AAM. The mission highlights AAM's commitment to leadershipLeadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
, advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
, collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
and service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
.
"The Spark" contains four goals: excellence, advocacy, sustainability and alignment.
Presidents/Chairpersons
- Hermon Carey BumpusHermon Carey BumpusHermon Carey Bumpus was the fifth president of Tufts College from 1915 to 1919.-Early life and education:...
(1906–07), director of the American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryThe American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world... - William M.R. French (1907–08)
- William Jacob HollandWilliam Jacob HollandWilliam Jacob Holland was the eighth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. He was an accomplished zoologist and paleontologist, as well as an ordained Presbyterian minister.-Life:Holland was born August 16, 1848 in Jamaica, West Indies, the...
(1908–09) - Frederick A. Lucas (1909–1910)
- Frederick J.V. Skiff (1910–11)
- Edward S. MorseEdward S. MorseEdward Sylvester Morse was an American zoologist and orientalist.-Early life:Morse was born in Portland, Maine as the son of a Congregationalist preacher. His mother, who did not share her husband's religious beliefs, encouraged her son's interest in the sciences...
(1911–12) - Henry L. Ward (1912–13)
- Benjamin Ives GilmanBenjamin Ives GilmanBenjamin Ives Gilman was the Secretary of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts from 1893 to 1925.He was the son of Winthrop Sargent Gilman, and first worked for the family banking house. Then he returned to college. At the Johns Hopkins University he studied as a graduate student under Charles Sanders...
(1913–14) - Oliver C. FarringtonOliver C. FarringtonOliver Cummings Farrington was an American geologist. He was born at Brewer, Maine, and was educated at the University of Maine and at Yale University , where he was tutor in 1890-91...
(1914–16) - Henry Howland (1916–18)
- Newton H. Carpenter (1918–19)
- Paul M. Rea (1919–21)
- Frederic Allen Whiting (1921–23)
- Chauncey J. Hamlin (1923–29)
- Fiske KimballFiske KimballFiske Kimball was an American architect, architectural historian and museum director.-Biography:Kimball was born in Newton, Massachusetts on December 8, 1888....
(1929–32) - Paul J. SachsPaul J. SachsPaul Sachs was Harvard associate director of the Fogg Art Museum, a partner in the financial firm Goldman Sachs and the developer of one of the early museum studies courses in the United States.-History:...
(1932–36) - Herbert E. WinlockHerbert E. WinlockHerbert Eustis Winlock was an American Egyptologist employed with the Metropolitan Museum of Art during his entire Egyptological career...
(1936–38) - Clark WisslerClark WisslerClark Wissler was an American anthropologist.Born near Hagerstown, Indiana, Wissler graduated from Indiana University in 1897. He received his doctorate in psychology from Columbia University in 1901. After Columbia, Wissler left the field of psychology to focus on Anthropology...
(1938–45) - David E. FinleyDavid E. FinleyDavid E. Finley was a United States Representative from South Carolina. He was born in Trenton, Arkansas. He attended the public schools of Rock Hill, South Carolina and Ebenezer, South Carolina and was graduated from the law department of South Carolina College at Columbia, South Carolina in 1885...
(1945–49) - George H. Edgell (1949–51)
- Albert E. Parr (1951–53)
- William MillikenWilliam MillikenWilliam Grawn Milliken , is an American politician and served as the 44th Governor of Michigan from January 1969 to January 1983.-Biography:...
(1953–57) - Edward P. AlexanderEdward P. AlexanderDr. Edward Porter Alexander was an American historian, museum administrator, educator and author. He served for nearly 30 years as vice-president for interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg and founded the Museum Studies program at the University of Delaware, which he directed for its first six...
(1957–60) - Froelich G. Rainey (1960–63)
- Charles Van RavenswaayCharles Van RavenswaayCharles van Ravenswaay was an American historian, museum administrator, and author. He served as State Superintendent of the Missouri Writer's Project, producing Missouri: The WPA Guide to the "Show Me" State in 1941...
(1963–66) - Charles Parkhurst (1966–68)
- William C. Steere (1968–70)
- James M. Brown III (1970–72)
- Charles E. Buckley (1972–74)
- Joseph M. Chamberlain (1974–75)
- Joseph Veach Noble (1975–78, director of the Museum of the City of New YorkMuseum of the City of New YorkThe Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people...
- Kenneth StarrKenneth StarrKenneth Winston "Ken" Starr is an American lawyer and educational administrator who has also been a federal judge. He is best known for his investigation of figures during the Clinton administration....
(1978–1980), director of Milwaukee Public MuseumMilwaukee Public MuseumThe Milwaukee Public Museum is a natural and human history museum located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884; it is a not-for-profit organization operated by the Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc. MPM has three floors of exhibits... - Craig C. Black, , director of Carnegie Museum of Natural HistoryCarnegie Museum of Natural HistoryCarnegie Museum of Natural History, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, was founded by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896...
- Dan Monroe, , director of Portland Art MuseumPortland Art MuseumThe Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in...
- Robert MacDonaldRobert MacDonaldRobert MacDonald may refer to:*Robert David MacDonald , Scottish playwright, translator and theatre director*Robert W. "Bob" MacDonald, insurance executive*Robert MacDonald , British Member of Parliament for Glasgow Cathcart, 1923–1929...
(1985–1988), director of the Museum of the City of New YorkMuseum of the City of New YorkThe Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people... - W. Richard West (1998–2000), director of the National Museum of the American IndianNational Museum of the American IndianThe National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
- Louis Casagrande (2002–2004), director of the Boston Children's MuseumBoston Children's MuseumBoston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the United States...
- Jeffrey Rudolph (2004–2006), director of the California Science CenterCalifornia Science CenterThe California Science Center is a state agency and museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles. Billed as the West Coast's largest hands-on science center, the California ScienCenter is a public-private partnership between the State and the California Science Center Foundation...
- Irene HiranoIrene HiranoIrene Y. Hirano is President of the U.S.-Japan Council. Hirano was appointed to the position in 2009. Hirano focuses on building positive relations between the United States and Japan. She is also Chair of the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees...
(2006–2008), director of the Japanese American National MuseumJapanese American National MuseumThe opened its doors in 1992. The idea for the museum was originally thought up by Bruce Kaji with help from other notable Japanese American people at the time. The museum is located in the Little Tokyo an area near downtown Los Angeles, California. It is devoted to preserving the history and... - Carl R. Nold (2008–2010), director of Historic New EnglandHistoric New EnglandHistoric New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
Directors/Presidents
- Charles R. Richards (1923–27), director of Cooper UnionCooper UnionThe Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
- Laurence Vail Coleman (1927–58)
- Joseph Allen Patterson (1958–67)
- Kyran M. McGrath (1968–75)
- Richard McLanathan (1975–78)
- Lawrence L. Reger (1978–1986)
- Edward H. Able (1986–2006)
- Ford W. Bell (2007- )
See also
:Category:Institutions accredited by the American Association of Museums- National Education AssociationNational Education AssociationThe National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
- Art Museum PartnershipArt Museum PartnershipThe Art Museum Partnership is a New York City-based non-profit organization that provides the nonprofit art museums with educational opportunities that facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and collections. The Partnership was primarily established to benefit the small to medium-sized...
- New England Museum AssociationNew England Museum AssociationNew England Museum Association is a member service regional organization representing museum professionals and the museum community in New England. It is associated with the American Association of Museums . The group's headquarters are in Arlington, Massachusetts.-External links:* *...
- Association of Art Museum DirectorsAssociation of Art Museum DirectorsThe Association of Art Museum Directors is an organisation of art museums in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.Established in 1916 by the directors of twelve American museums, the Association formally incorporated in 1969. At that time the Association also hired an employee, and increased the...
External links
- AAM | Media and Technology Committee
- Official Website
- The AAM after 72 Years by Ellen C. Hirzy. Article published in Museum News, May/June 1978.
- AAM Centennial Timeline
- Registrar's Committee website