Matt Foss, director
Good afternoon from the City of Brotherly Love (unless, of course, you’re a Mets, Braves, Cowboys, or Giants fan).
Along with youth and family program manager Emily Wesenick, and assistant director and collections curator Amalia Wojciechowski, I am in Philadelphia for the American Alliance of Museums annual conference. An annual gathering of dedicated museum professionals from across the country held in a different city each year, “AAM” is a great time to reconnect with colleagues, meet new friends, explore area museum offerings, and collect strategies and ideas to better serve visitors to the Woodson Art Museum.
AAM 2026 is especially important for us to attend this year because the Woodson is officially “on the clock” for reaccreditation in 2027. American Alliance of Museums’ accreditation-the gold standard of the museum world-is reserved for institutions who not only meet certain criteria but also make tangible differences in the communities they serve. The Woodson Art Museum, which received accreditation in 1979, and reaccreditation in 1987, 2002, and 2018, is one of only ten accredited art museums in the state of Wisconsin, and the only accredited art museum serving central, north central, and western Wisconsin. Accreditation signals to all that the Woodson meets core museum standards, keeps education at the heart of its public service role, is sound financially and staffed with qualified museum professionals with sufficient education and training, and upholds the standards and ethics that mark true museums.
Besides the importance of preparing for our upcoming reaccreditation, attending conferences like AAM ensures the Woodson stays at the forefront of current museum trends and is ready to provide exceptional visual arts experiences, much like the outstanding exhibition Hot Off the Press, which opened on Saturday.
In the coming year, you can expect more on the Museum’s reaccreditation process, its importance to the community, and why we will celebrate if we are fortunate enough to receive reaccreditation for the fourth time from the American Alliance of Museums. In the meantime, I believe there’s a cheesesteak calling my name…
