MOCA North Miami Receives Highest National Recognition For Museums

Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation's museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. All museums must undergo a re-accreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.

This re-accreditation coincides with the growth and success of the museum since MOCA Executive Director Chana Sheldon joined the institution in January 2018. Under Sheldon's leadership the museum has presented critically acclaimed exhibitions and expanded educational and public programming that has facilitated cultural engagement and fostered connection with the local community, as well as the global dialogue in contemporary art. MOCA's 2018 Miami Art Week exhibition, "AFRICOBRA: Messages to the People" was selected as an official Collateral Event of the Biennale Arte 2019, marking the first exhibition from South Florida to be represented in the prestigious La Biennale di Venezia held in Italy. Also under her leadership, the museum has grown its Board of Trustees including new Chairman and community leader William Lehman, Jr.

"We envision MOCA to be an inclusive cultural hub, embracing the diversity that defines our dynamic community," said Sheldon. "MOCA North Miami's re-accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums reflects our commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement."

"This is indeed great news for MOCA and our North Miami community. I stand ready to support MOCA and their commitment to excellence in the museum community," said the City of North Miami's Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime. "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all who played a role in seeing this honor through completion."

Alliance Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 45 years, the Alliance's museum accreditation program is the field's primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public.

Of the nation's estimated 33,000 museums, over 1,070 are currently accredited. MOCA is one of 57 museums accredited in Florida.

Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum's operations. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM's Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.

"Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence," said Laura L. Lott, Alliance president and CEO. "Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud."

In celebration of Miami Art Week 2019, MOCA is proud to host two exhibitions showcasing women artists a?? late artist Alice Rahon's "Poetic Invocations," and artist Cecilia Vicuña's "Cecilia Vicuña: About to Happen." Cecilia Vicuña's "About to Happen" traces the Chilean artist's career-long commitment to exploring discarded and displaced materials, peoples and landscapes in a time of global climate change. French-Mexican surrealist painter Alice Rahon's "Poetic Invocations" aims to contribute to the scholarship and recognition of under-explored women artists, and to the intercultural influences on European artists in exile in the Americas, whose work was often deeply marked by indigenous and archaic cultures. Both exhibitions will open on Tuesday, Nov. 26; remain on view during Miami Art Week, and run through Sunday, March 29, 2020.

About Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami is dedicated to making contemporary art accessible to diverse audiences through the collection, preservation and exhibition of the best of contemporary art and its art historical influences. MOCA began operating in 1981, opened a new building in 1996 designed by Charles Gwathmey of GSNY, and was the first collecting institution in Miami. Under the direction of recently appointed Executive Director Chana Sheldon, MOCA premiered AFRICOBRA: Messages to the People during Art Basel Miami Beach in 2018. AFRICOBRA: Nation Time, the next chapter of the exhibition, was selected as an official Collateral Event of Biennale Arte 2019 in Venice, Italy. The museum has achieved re-accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation's museums. MOCA has been recognized with grants and awards from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

MOCA is an inclusive cultural hub, embracing the diversity that defines its dynamic community, and organizing exhibitions that propel art and ideas connected to its South Florida home into the global cultural conversation. The museum is located at 770 NE 125th Street, North Miami, FL 33161. It is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed Mondays and major holidays). Admission to the museum is $10 and free to MOCA members and North Miami residents. For more information, visit mocanomi.org, call 305-893-6211 or email info@mocanomi.org.

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