AirVenture Museum Now Considered To Be Among The Nation's Top
Museums
The EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, WI, has again earned
accreditation from the American Association of Museums, recognizing
its commitment to excellence and high professional standards. The
latest approval marks the third consecutive time the AirVenture
Museum has earned the AAM's "seal of approval." The EAA facility
was the first aviation museum in the U.S. to earn accreditation in
1988, and one of fewer than 10 aviation museums in the nation to
hold the rating. The museum was accredited for 15 years, through
2025, increased from the previous 10-year terms.
AirVenture Museum
"Earning AAM accreditation is an incredibly rigorous task, as
the standards and requirements are very high," said Alan Westby,
director of the EAA AirVenture Museum. "EAA's museum,
however, reflects the high standards of the organization and its
members. The accreditation committee recognized this connection and
the dedication to continuing improvement in all areas."
The AAM accreditation process took more than a year to complete.
It includes substantial documentation of a museum's current
programs and operations, as well as a site visit by a national
panel of museum professionals. Among other characteristics reviewed
by AAM are governance, collection stewardship, institutional
planning, code of ethics, mission and risk management.
Among the publicly visible upgrades made the by the AirVenture
Museum over the past decade was the effort to make exhibits more
interactive and family-friendly. In addition, exciting new exhibits
have been introduced in recent years, including such one-of-a-kind
displays as SpaceShipOne, the world's first successful civilian
spaceship.
SpaceShipOne
In its final report, the AAM reviewing committee included
noteworthy statements such as "the EAA AirVenture Museum has
reached for high standards as both a membership organization
fostering innovation and as a museum dedicated to collecting and
education"; and "the commitment to past and future innovations is
reflected in EAA publications and programs, which have an
international appeal." In addition, the AAM committee found no
areas where the AirVenture Museum did not meet AAM standards and
best practices, and no areas of improvement required.
"EAA members and the Oshkosh community can be very proud of the
AirVenture Museum and the standards of quality that are maintained
here," Westby said. "This facility is not only the home of
EAA's history and the story of personal flight. It is a
resource for all to be used to discover more about aviation and a
showpiece for our community. We hope that every EAA member can
share our pride at this latest recognition and say, 'This is the
home of my organization.'"