(February 2007)

Contact: Diane Dufilho, Director of Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College, 318-869-5169, or Lynn Stewart, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120

Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary Earns Prestigious Accreditation

SHREVEPORT, LA — The Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College of Louisiana has been re-accredited by the American Association of Museums, the highest national recognition a museum can achieve. Only about 775 of the nation's nearly 17,500 museums are currently accredited by AAM, including 10 in Louisiana.

In its announcement of 19 museums in the nation accredited or reaccredited this year, AAM said, "Accreditation recognizes high standards in individual museums and ensures that museums continue to provide the best possible service to the public," and that its accreditation program is "the field's primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability."

Meadows Museum Director Diane Dufilho said, "We have completed the rigorous process of reaccreditation and look forward to continuing to mount exhibitions of aesthetic excellence and to implementing educational programs of value for the regional public." Meadows is the only Louisiana museum north of Alexandria that has the AAM accreditation.

In a letter to Gov. Kathleen Blanco, U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter and U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, Kim Igoe of AAM said, "This museum's accreditation is important to you, and the citizens you represent, for many reasons. An accredited museum is publicly committed to upholding and sustaining the highest standards and practices of the museum community. It is a leader among its peers in providing the best possible services and experiences, a constant reminder to you and your constituents exactly how much museums really matter to the community ... (and) also plays a critical civic role as a center of learning and as an education resource for school children, teachers, and individuals of all ages...I encourage you to visit Meadows Museum of Art ... to fully appreciate and understand the valuable services they offer."

Igoe, who is interim president and chief executive officer of AAM, also said accreditation brings heightened visibility at the local and national levels to the communities in which they reside, increase public confidence and promote travel and tourism, quality of life and other economic interests.

The Meadows Museum of Art is an educational unit of Centenary College, charged with the collection, conservation, preservation and interpretation of visual art works of museum quality from the permanent College Collection, including the Indochina Collection of Jean Despujols. The comprehensive collection represents the aesthetic achievements of a variety of world cultures and includes works by George Grosz, Emilio Amero, Mary Cassatt and Alfred Maurer. Most recently, the Meadows Museum of Art has received a copy of The Triumphal Arch of Maximiliian I by Northern Renaissance artist and engraver Albrecht Durer.

The Museum augments its permanent collections by maintaining a rigorous temporary exhibition schedule designed to reflect the diversity and interests of the regional community by presenting the highest level of aesthetic achievements of individuals and cultures.