YOUNGSTOWN - Last week, the Butler Institute of American Art lost its accreditation, something important for the museum's operations and credibility.

The Butler is now in the process of addressing what the American Alliance of Museums cites as "major concerns," and said it's attempting to repeal the accreditation withdrawal. 

The report lists concerns including  "unacceptable collections care,  inappropriately made loans from the collection and inadequate leadership," according to the Accreditation Commission. 

The report adds that many of these issues were first cited 15 years ago, but that little progress has been made.

Butler's Executive Director Lou Zona said he is confident that Butler will be able to fix these issues by Christmas. 

"It's one of the great museums in our country," Zona said, "It's one of the great buildings in our country. It's one of the great collections in our country. There's nothing at all to be ashamed of because the staff here has done the job and it's a very good staff."

The report portrays an organization where top leadership makes decisions without input, leading to questionable judgment.

These range from letting board members display artwork in their private homes to racially charged descriptions of some paintings.

The report states, "Portraits of various indigenous tribal members were referred to as examples of 'savage etymology.'

Zona said the language is a part of history but has stopped public tours of that section.

The report also said Youngstown's population, which is more than 40 percent African-American, is "underrepresented in the museum's collection.."

Zona points to a collection of Black artists' work, although the report said that collection was stored in a remote hallway instead of a main gallery.

Zona denies problems with leadership, saying the issues are all due to a lack of space.

"This is an expanding collection, and our facilities are not expanding," he said, "They're limited and so that's the issue. That's the challenge that we faced."

The report also points out several strengths of the museum, especially its children's programming, and the positive impact it will have for generations to come.

Butler's Board President Ted Schmidt said they fully intend to regain accreditation and that these types of issues are not uncommon.