The Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson recently received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Commission. Of the nation’s estimated 35,000 museums, only 1,056 are currently accredited.

To achieve accreditation, the museum showed through self-assessment and peer review that it is a core educational entity and a good steward of the collections and resources it holds.

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

Mississippi Museum of Art Director Betsy Bradley considers accreditation a step towards meeting larger goals.

“We are gratified that the museum received praise from our respected peers for our innovative programs, beautiful facilities, and meaningful community partnerships,” she said in a statement released by the museum. “We will continue to use these standards of excellence to serve our community and our visitors, and we look forward to even stronger national partnerships in creating the highest caliber of exhibitions of art from around the world.”