William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Va.
William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia, announces its re-accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, a designation that recognizes WKMA’s continued commitment to excellence. AAM Accreditation is the “gold standard” of museum distinction. Of the nation’s 33,000 museums, only 1,088 are accredited, highlighting institutions that demonstrate excellence in key areas of museum culture including education, public service, collections care, museum operations, financial security and community impact.
Betsy K. White, director of WKMA, underscores the importance of this distinction. “This is a significant designation and one that ensures our capacity for bringing original works of art into our galleries to share with our public and school audiences. It also ensures an operating culture based on integrity, sound public trust and deep community service. We are honored to have achieved this re-affirmation of our service to the region.”
William King Museum of Art opened its doors in 1992 after a two-year renovation that adapted the historic William King High School as a high-security museum. An integral part of the cultural fabric of far Southwest Virginia, it has become a cherished destination for young and old, both residents and visitors to the region. The museum holds an ever-changing schedule of exhibitions in three galleries that showcase the art of the world, both historic and contemporary, the cultural heritage of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, and the continuum of artistic trends in the region today. A fourth gallery holds the museum’s permanent collection of regional decorative arts, and its new Cultural Heritage Archive, Online, provides research access to over 2,000 records of regional heritage including furniture, textiles, pottery, metalwork, musical instruments and art. A special collection of 1950s railroad photography by O. Winston Link is exhibited in partnership with the Town of Abingdon in its tourism office adjacent to the head of the Virginia Creeper Trail.
The museum conducts an extensive education program for school audiences throughout 12 school districts in Southwest Virginia and a public program of classes, workshops, lectures and tours for adults and children. The museum opened its new Art Lab on July 1 that offers a wide array of educational programs for high school, college and adult audiences.
President of the Board of Trustees, David Thomas, comments that, “This accomplishment by WKMA allows us to continue presenting our constantly changing art exhibits from a variety of national sources. As only 3% of the country’s museums have received this level of recognition, the public can be proud we have this art resource in our community and region.”
The museum is growing. A new campaign is under way titled “Completing the Masterpiece” that will fund the renovation of the museum’s 20-acre campus as a community park and the expansion of educational programming for schools and public audiences.
The museum is open seven days a week: Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free. For information on exhibitions or events at William King Museum of Art visit www.williamkingmuseum.org or call 276-628-5005.
