Press release submitted by the Museum of Russian Icons
On the eve of the Museum of Russian Icons tenth anniversary (it opened its doors in October 2006) the Museum receives the highest accolade available to American museums - the AAM Accreditation.
Fewer than 10% of American museums are accredited. Accreditation is a long process and requires that the museum preform at the highest ethical, administration and community engagement standards, equal to any of the most prestigious national museums in the USA.
It is very unusual for accreditation to be awarded to a museum that is only ten years old. This is a cap stone for the philanthropy of the founder Gordon B. Lankton, former President and Chairman of Nypro Inc. Mr. Lankton acquired his first icon, a St Nicholas on display at the museum, in 1991. From that time onward Mr. Lankton has assembled what Nadezhda Bekeneva of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, has called “one of the finest private collections of Russian icons in the world”. Mr. Lankton has donated his collection of over 1,000 icons from the 15th to 21st centuries along with the magnificent buildings that house the Museum in the care of a Board of Trustees. To ensure the future of the museum Mr. Lankton has arranged to leave a significant endowment.
“This is a wonderful acknowledgement of what has been achieved here, I am pleased that the AAM has recognized the Museum and the collections for quality and for the work we have done to bring the Museum to life. I am very happy to share this accolade with my favorite Town of Clinton,” said Gordon B. Lankton upon hearing of the AAM Accreditation.
Tara Young, Deputy Director at the Museum of Russian Icons led the Museum’s team to apply for accreditation. She and the Museum staff team of seven employees and the Trustees worked over a year to prepare the documentation for the application and to get the Museum systems up to AAM standard.
The museum is a lynch-pin for the revitalization of the Town of Clinton and the neighboring communities. It attracts over 15,000 visitors from around the country and the world annually.
In awarding accreditation, the AAM review commission called the collections “important”, “significant”. They applauded “the spirit in which the accreditation process was approached by the staff and Trustees”. They commended the Museum on its strong community partnerships and in particular sited the establishment of the Moscow Study Center in partnership with WPI. The commissioners were impressed by the range and quality of the Museum programming. They also mentioned the recent international conference that attracted scholars from around the world to attend a 3 day event to discuss icons and Byzantine art during a major international exhibition in collaboration with the British Museum, London, was taking place. The Museum of Russian Icons was cited for how they use the collection of icons to promote understanding between the USA and Russia.
The Museum of Russian Icons is the only museum in the USA dedicated to Russian icons, and it is the largest collection outside of Russia.
MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ICONS, 203 Union Street, Clinton, MA 10150
Admission: Adults $10; Seniors (59+) $7; Students $5; Children (3-7) $5; Children under 3 free; museum members free
Hours: Tue. - Fri., 11 to 4 p.m., FIRST Thurs to 8 p.m., Sat 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For interviews and further information:
Kent Russell, CEO/Curator, 978-598-5000 x 12, krussell@museumofrussianicons.org