New name and strengthened mission

The Association of College of University Museums and Galleries has changed its name to the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG). The association has strengthened its mission to “better reflect its role as the leading educational and professional organization for museums and galleries affiliated with academic institutions.”

AAMG changed its name at an annual business meeting in Los Angeles in May. It also revised its by-laws and strengthened its mission as a resource for museums of all disciplines at colleges and universities. The association addresses such issues as governance, educational outreach and collections management, among others.

The name change also provides a closer link between AAMG and the American Association of Museums (AAM), an affiliate organization. AAMG president David Alan Robertson discusses the importance of academic museums:

Academic museums play central roles in the teaching, learning and scholarly enterprise of our nation’s colleges and universities. They are vital centers for interdisciplinary learning and also the training grounds for the country’s next generation of museum leaders.

The association was organized in 1980 and works to protect art collections of colleges and universities. It also advocates against the sale of donated art works and the closure of art museums by higher education institutions. AAMG has a growing membership of more than 400 of the nation’s academic museums and galleries.

A picture of GMOA was on the main page of AAMG’s website (screenshot below, GMOA is on the bottom right).