Life

Besser Museum tells Rotary of national reaccreditation

Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan has been awarded accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. Accreditation is the highest national recognition of a museum's commitment to public service, professional standards and excellence in education.

"The Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan ranks among the most prestigious museums in the United States, and its participation in accreditation reflects an enduring commitment to excellence and public trust," said Kippen de Alba Chu, chair of the AAM Board of Directors, in a press release.

Obtaining accreditation status involved tremendous commitment on the part of the Besser Museum executive director, staff and board of trustees. The labor-intensive process included a self-study, a site visit by AAM officials and the museum working to remedy major identified areas of concern. The entire process spanned over a four-year period.

"Attainment of accreditation represents the pinnacle of institutional recognition, a status that signifies adherence to the highest professional standards in the museum field, including ethics, financial sustainability and accountability," said de Alba Chu.

"The work that takes place to achieve and maintain national accreditation also ensures the preservation of treasured artifacts held in public trust for the benefit of our community," stated Besser Museum Executive Director Christine Witulski. "Accreditation also strengthens the Besser Museum's opportunities for grant funding and receiving traveling exhibitions from other museums, such as the Detroit Institute of Art and other such accredited museum."

In awarding the accreditation, the AAM lauded the Besser Museum for its important place in the community and region.

"The Besser Museum has achieved astounding recognition by its community as a major force in the economic and cultural animation of the region," the AAM wrote in its report to museum officials. "It has galvanized volunteers and in-kind contributions that would be the envy of most museums. It organized a successful capital campaign that raised $500,000 from a community of about 11,000 in a county of approximately 30,000 residents. In terms of public service, the Besser Museum is exemplary."

The museum first achieved accreditation, which extends for a 10-year period, in 1979. Reaccreditation was granted again in 1990 and 2002, although the AAM raised major concerns with the museum's collections management practices in its 2002 reaccreditation report.

Museum officials at that time were tasked with addressing those issues, which included a need for improvement to storage conditions for the collections, better environmental monitoring to best preserve those collections, and proper documentation and cataloging of artifacts.

Numerous administrative changes over the years and several economic downturns impacted the museum's ability to follow through on addressing the concerns first raised in 2002 by the AAM.

During the 2017 review, AAM officials once again found the same areas of concern regarding collections management. The reaccrediting body, therefore, tabled the museum's formal request for reaccreditation and suggested the museum consider voluntarily withdrawing from the Accreditation Program. If opting to withdraw, the museum would have more time to address the concerns and could reapply for accreditation after a minimum of one-year.

The other option AAM provided was for museum officials to develop a viable action plan and immediately begin addressing the issues. The museum would be given a five-month grace period to submit an action plan and progress report to AAM.

"Immediately addressing the issues was the only option," Witulski stated. "We had already worked so hard and had addressed several issues cited in the 2002 AAM review that we were not going to give up now."

The tabling decision initiated a series of actions that produced significant progress resulting in the successful 2019 reaccreditation.

The museum:

¯ Created a partnership with Central Michigan University Museum Studies department and Ron Bloomfield, Museum Studies Program faculty at Central Michigan University and collections manager of CMU's Museum of Cultural and Natural History for professional consultation and support.

¯ Contracted with R.S. Scott Associates, Inc., to assess how best to reallocate space for the museum's collection of 38,000 artifacts.

¯ Hired an experienced collections manager to focus on critical tasks sited in the AAM review.

¯ Reviewed collection care policies and procedures to establish best practices to ensure intellectual and physical control of the collections.

¯ Purchased a PastPerfect Collections Management Database for better management of the museum's collections.

¯ Implemented procedures to better monitor environmental conditions in the collections storage areas.

¯ Focused fundraising efforts to support collections care, including the 2018 Giving Tuesday Campaign that raised $7,500 to purchase archival supplies for collections care.

Witulski said achieving the AAM accreditation took a great deal of time, commitment and funding. However, additional work still remains to be accomplished in order to meet all the goals related to collections management and that the financial support of the public remains a key component in making it all happen.

"On behalf of the Besser Museum Board of Trustees, we are very proud of the collective talents of the museum staff and the leadership management of Christine Witulski," Museum Board President Anne Belanger said in a press release. "Only twenty-three percent of museums in Michigan hold accreditation by the AAM. This achievement elevates the Besser Museum to pursue touring exhibits from major museums across the region. The museum is in the process of incorporating new exhibits and programming that is relevant and engaging with our diverse audience."

"The Besser Museum strives for excellence every day and in every venture," Witulski said. "Our motivation is to honor the life and legacy of Jesse and Anna Besser and to fulfill our mission to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit authentic articles and artifacts of art, history, and science to inspire curiosity, foster community pride, and cultivate personal legacy."

Witulski noted that while President John F. Kennedy was setting his sights on the moon and pushing for technological advancements across the country, Jesse Besser was providing financial assistance to nonprofit educational organizations within his community. She said some of the first to benefit from his philanthropy were Alpena Community College, Alpena Public Schools and the Besser Museum. Thanks to Jesse and Anna Besser's foresight, the Besser Foundation continues to provide financial support for cultural and educational advancements throughout Northeast Michigan.

A Community Celebration to recognize the AAM's national accreditation of the Besser Museum is planned for April 27, the same day as the opening of the museum's Apollo 11 Exhibit that will pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of man first landing on the moon.

For more information, visit www.bessermuseum.org.