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Did you know USC has an art museum open to the public? First established in 1939 as the Fisher Gallery, the Fisher Museum of Art over the years has made sure to keep up practices and policies in tip-top shape to ensure accreditation with the American Association of Museums. This week it was re-accredited.
"There are so many advantages to being an accredited institution, especially in a university setting --where accreditation is such an important value!" explained the museum's director, Selma Holo. "The most obvious advantage is that if a museum is accredited it signals to other museums that it follows the best practices of the industry. So that, when the need to request a loan of a valuable work of art arises, the other museum is assured that the accredited museum requesting the loan will honor all of the conservation requirements to properly care for their precious object."
The museum has its own permanent collection, which includes work from Andy Warhol, and rotating exhibitions. It also offers programming including lectures, artist talks, Yoga in the Galleries, film screenings, concerts and more.
Fisher is among the four art museums -- the others are The Getty, MOCA and LACMA -- in Los Angeles that have the accreditation. Other regional art museums with the same honor include the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena and the Long Beach Museum of Art.
Hours are limited, but are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. On Saturdays, save for football game days, the space is open from noon to 4 p.m.