Wiregrass Museum of Art to Again Participate in the National Museum Assessment Program

DOTHAN, Alabama – August 6, 2024 — Wiregrass Museum of Art (WMA) has been approved to receive a Follow-up Review through the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), which is administered by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS). This special opportunity, provided to only about 20 museums each year, allows WMA to build upon our progress since our original MAP assessment in 2022 by reuniting us with our original Peer Reviewer for guidance and expertise on a specific issue.

Museums selected for Follow-up Review must demonstrate they have made strides in taking action and implementing the recommendations outlined by their Peer Reviewer during the original assessment.

WMA has chosen to do a Follow-Up MAP Site Visit to illustrate its commitment to pursuing the highest industry standards. The Review will focus on specific areas of museum operations including areas like governance as well as needs for a museum facility-of-the-future. The site visit from WMA’s Peer Reviewer will ensure the museum is on the path towards national accreditation which, if received, is expected to increase WMA’s impact as an educational institution.

“We’re excited to be able to participate in a follow-up review through MAP, and to build on the work we’ve done since our last visit in 2022. WMA’s board and staff are committed to increasing our impact in Dothan, the Wiregrass, and the larger Southeastern region through the pursuit of national accreditation. We’re taking intentional steps forward, and this Review will ensure we continue to move forward towards shared goals”, says Dana-Marie Lemmer, executive director at WMA.

Since its creation in 1981, the MAP program has served over 5000 museums to strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards through self-assessment and a consultative site visit from an expert peer reviewer. MAP is supported through a cooperative agreement between AAM and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information visit www.aam-us.org/map, call 202-289-9118, or e-mail map@aam-us.org.

AAM is the only organization representing the nation’s entire museum community and has been dedicated to promoting excellence within the museum field for over 100 years. For more information about AAM, visit www.aam-us.org. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov.