The Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN), the nation's leading Spanish-language public media network, has congratulated the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (NMPRAC) on earning accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for museums in the United States. This distinction places NMPRAC among an elite group of accredited institutions dedicated to preserving, studying, and promoting Hispanic arts, history, and culture.
NMPRAC becomes only the fourth Latino, Chicano, or Latin American art museum in the country to receive AAM accreditation, joining the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, and Museo de las Américas in Denver. The AAM accreditation program is regarded as the museum field's highest standard of excellence, with fewer than 1,100 museums nationwide earning this distinction, which demonstrates excellence in governance, collections stewardship, education, financial sustainability, and public service.
“This accreditation is a powerful affirmation of the museum’s commitment to preserving Puerto Rico’s rich cultural heritage for future generations,” said Michael D. Nieves, President and CEO of HITN and a member of the NMPRAC Board of Directors. “It reflects decades of dedication, vision, and hard work by the museum’s staff and leadership. I also want to recognize my fellow members of the Board of Directors—José E. López, Juan Calderón, Rebecca Medina, Elizabeth Colón, David Hernández, Elizabeth Aquino, Paul Roldán, Eddie Ortiz, Aida Maisonet Giachello, and Jaime Moctezuma—for their unwavering commitment to this extraordinary institution.”
Billy Ocasio, President and CEO of NMPRAC, emphasized the community effort behind the achievement. “We have worked for this moment since our inception 26 years ago, knowing that everything we did would hopefully lead to this historic milestone,” Ocasio said. “This accreditation belongs to the generations of community members who believed Puerto Rican stories deserved a permanent national home. What began as a community’s determination to hold space and tell its own story has grown into a national institution where our art, our culture, and our history are preserved, celebrated, and passed on. This belongs not only to us, but to future generations. We are only beginning.”
HITN and NMPRAC share a longstanding commitment to serving Hispanic communities through educational and cultural initiatives that preserve heritage, elevate Latino voices, and expand access to public service programming. The museum’s accreditation marks a significant milestone not only for the institution, but also for the broader effort to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanic communities to the cultural fabric of the United States.
For more information about the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, visit nmprac.org. HITN Media, which reaches more than 35 million homes in the United States and Puerto Rico, offers educational and cultural programming for the whole family. More details are available at HITN.org.
