"the first recipient. National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the NASM, is a museum in Washington, D.C.. It was established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and opened its main building on the National Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in 1976. In 2016, the museum saw approximately 7.5 million visitors, making it the third most visited museum in the world, and the most visited museum in the United States. The museum contains the Apollo 11 command module, the ""Friendship 7"" capsule which was flown by John Glenn, Charles Lindbergh's"
"The Smithsonian Institution is an educational foundation chartered by Congress in 1846 that maintains most of the nation's official museums and galleries in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government partially funds the Smithsonian and its collections are open to the public free of charge. The Smithsonian's locations had a combined total of 30 million visits in 2013. The most visited museum is the National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall. Other Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries on the mall are: the National Air and Space Museum; the National Museum of African Art; the National Museum of American History; the"
"of with of exhibition and public space and houses over 1,000 employees. The museum's collections contain over 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts. It is also home to about 185 professional natural-history scientists—the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of natural and cultural history in the world. The United States National Museum was founded in 1846 as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum was initially housed in the Smithsonian Institution Building, which is better known today as the Smithsonian Castle. A formal exhibit hall opened in 1858."
"Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), established on August 10, 1846 ""for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,"" is a group of museums and research centers administered by the Government of the United States. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. Originally organized as the ""United States National Museum,"" that name ceased to exist as an administrative entity in 1967. Termed ""the nation's attic"" for its eclectic holdings of 154 million items, the Institution's nineteen museums, nine research centers, and zoo include historical and architectural landmarks, mostly located in the District of Columbia. Additional"
"value in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially ""the Met"", is the largest art museum in the United States. With 7.06 million visitors to its three locations in 2016, it was the third most visited art museum in the world, and the fifth most visited museum of any kind. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments. The main building, on the eastern edge of Central Park along Museum Mile in Manhattan 's Upper East Side is by area one of"
"process to gain access to film at the Smithsonian remains the same. Since January 2006, independent producers have made more than 500 requests to film in the museums and collections or to use archival footage and photos. Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), established on August 10, 1846 ""for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,"" is a group of museums and research centers administered by the Government of the United States. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. Originally organized as the ""United States National Museum,"" that name ceased to exist as an administrative"
"Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum located in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as collections of early American furniture and decorative arts. Founded in 1842 and opened in 1844, it is the oldest continually operating public art museum in the United States. The museum is located at 600 Main Street in a distinctive castle-like building in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, the state's capital. With of exhibition space, the museum"
"of art. It is one of the largest museums in North America. Pittsburgh banker (and Treasury Secretary from 1921 until 1932) Andrew W. Mellon began gathering a private collection of old master paintings and sculptures during World War I. During the late 1920s, Mellon decided to direct his collecting efforts towards the establishment of a new national gallery for the United States. In 1930, partly for tax reasons, Mellon formed the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, which was to be the legal owner of works intended for the gallery. In 1930–1931, the Trust made its first major acquisition,"
"Culture open to the public. The museum was established as a gift from George Peabody, a native of South Danvers (now Peabody), a wealthy American financier and philanthropist on October 8, 1866. Peabody committed $150,000 to be used, according to the terms of the trust, to establish the position of Peabody Professor-Curator, to purchase artifacts, and to construct a building to house its collections. Peabody directed his trustees to organize the construction of ""a suitable fireproof museum building, upon land to be given for that purpose, free of cost or rental, by the President and Fellows of Harvard College."" The"
"Smithsonian Institution is an educational foundation that was created with the funds from British scientist James Smithson in 1846. The institution is composed of 19 museums and one zoo in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian's locations had a combined total of 30 million visits in 2013. The most visited museum is the National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall. Other Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries on the mall are the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African Art, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Sackler and Freer galleries,"
"art institutions in the country. The museum's origins can be traced to 1886 with Andrew Carnegie's initial concept: ""I am thinking of incorporating with the plan for a library that of an art-gallery in which shall be preserved a record of the progress and development of pictorial art in America."" Dedicated on November 5, 1895, the art gallery was initially housed in the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh Main Branch in Oakland. Carnegie envisioned a museum collection consisting of the ""Old Masters of tomorrow"" and the Carnegie Museum of Art became, arguably, the first museum of modern art in the United"
"Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum is one of the oldest museums in the United States. Its highly regarded collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decorative arts and two historic Charleston houses. The Charleston Museum is among the oldest museums in the United States, other museums in this category include the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. The Charleston Museum was founded in 1773 and opened to the public in 1824. In 1920, when the museum hired Laura Bragg as its director, she became the first woman to direct a publicly funded art museum"
"1844 and has operated continuously since then. The Wadsworth family, being one of the oldest and most affluent in the city, contributed numerous valuable pieces of art to be displayed at the time the museum opened. The first collection consisted of 78 paintings, two marble busts, one portrait miniature, and one bronze sculpture. In addition to the fine arts collection, the original building housed the forerunners of the Hartford Public Library and Connecticut Historical Society, giving rise to the name ""Atheneum,"" an institution broadly devoted to culture and learning. In light of that public role, the Wadsworth has, since its"
"Guild Hall Museum was among the earliest institutions in the United States to receive formal accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums [wiki link]. Of the 35,000 museums nationwide, Guild Hall is still one of approximately 1,000 to hold this distinction. The museum mounts eight to ten exhibitions per year, including an East End-wide student art exhibition. One of two galleries at Guild Hall is named for its founder, Mrs. Lorenzo E. Woodhouse, another for painter Thomas Moran who, in the mid-19th century, is credited with “colonizing” the Village of East Hampton as an artists’ community. The third, smallest, gallery"
"Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879 and located in Chicago's Grant Park, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 million guests annually. Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatorial departments, is encyclopedic, and includes iconic works such as Georges Seurat's ""A Sunday on La Grande Jatte"", Pablo Picasso's ""The Old Guitarist"", Edward Hopper's ""Nighthawks"", and Grant Wood's ""American Gothic"". Its permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art is augmented by more than 30 special"
"to preserve the money for an institution of science and learning. Congress also debated whether the federal government had the authority to accept the gift, though with Adams leading the initiative, Congress decided to accept the legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust on July 1, 1836. Partly due to Adams's efforts, Congress voted to establish the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. A nonpolitical board of regents was established to lead the institution, which included a museum, art gallery, library, and laboratory. In 1846, the 78-year-old former president suffered a stroke"
"as a ""refuge"" while in high school. Hughes' commentary on the sequence was used as a reference point by journalist Hadley Freeman in a discussion of the Republican Presidential primary candidates in 2011. Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879 and located in Chicago's Grant Park, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 million guests annually. Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatorial departments, is encyclopedic, and includes iconic works such as Georges Seurat's ""A Sunday"
"two months after excavation had begun. At the time of its inception it was the largest marble structure in the world. The museum stands on the former site of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station, where in 1881 a disgruntled office seeker, Charles Guiteau, shot President James Garfield (see James A. Garfield assassination). As anticipated by Mellon, the creation of the National Gallery encouraged the donation of other substantial art collections by a number of private donors. Founding benefactors included such individuals as Paul Mellon, Samuel H. Kress, Rush H. Kress, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Chester Dale, Joseph Widener, Lessing J."
"National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in 1937 for the American people by a joint resolution of the United States Congress. Andrew W. Mellon donated a substantial art collection and funds for construction. The core collection includes major works of art donated by Paul Mellon, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Lessing J. Rosenwald, Samuel Henry Kress, Rush Harrison Kress,"
"the Concert Organ, and Musical Clocks performed on this occasion."" In 1804, ""Mr. Bates"" performed a program of skits, stories, and songs, and also phantasmagoria (illuminated image-projection) featuring ""Old Father Time -- A Female Spirit, rising from the Tomb -- The King of Terror -- The Ghost and Hamlet -- Washington -- The President of the United States -- A Bust of Dr. Franklin -- An Egyptian Pigmy Idol, which instantaneously changes to a Human Skull."" The museum enjoyed considerable popularity. One historian notes the broadening cultural effect of the ""famous Columbian Museum, where New England began learning to be"
"in the public domain and for which pictures are available. A bulletin has appeared under various titles from 1903 to 1983: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is the fifth largest museum in the United States. It contains more than 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas. With more than one million visitors a year, it is the 60th most-visited art museum in the world . Founded in 1870, the museum moved to its current location in 1909. The museum is affiliated with the School"
"1812, President Jefferson—who promised to buy the 1795 portrait of Washington, but could not keep his promise—instead encouraged Peale to go to Europe, as ""we have genius among us but no unemployed wealth to reward it"". Motivated by his father's establishment of the American Museum of Philadelphia (1786) and having been unsuccessful in Philadelphia, Rembrandt Peale assumed his father's role in another city. On August 15, 1814, Peale launched his first museum as soon as he arrived in the municipality of Baltimore, Maryland on Holliday Street between East Saratoga and Lexington Streets, first building constructed in America to serve as"
"with the record-breaking Alexander McQueen show (3,472 a day). ""English paintings"" ""French paintings"" ""Italian paintings"" ""Sculptures"" ""gothic Art"" Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The V&A is located in the Brompton district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in an area that has become known as ""Albertopolis"" because of its association with Prince Albert, the Albert"
"attractions. For 2016 figures see List of most visited museums. The cities of London and Washington, D.C. contain more of the 20 most visited museums in the world than any others, with six museums and four museums, respectively. Early museums began as the private collections of wealthy individuals, families or institutions of art and rare or curious natural objects and artifacts. These were often displayed in so-called wonder rooms or cabinets of curiosities. One of the oldest museums known is Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum, built by Princess Ennigaldi at the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The site dates from c. 530 BCE,"
"are some for children, teens, adults, and there are even some dedicated to school educators. The Carnegie Museum of Art was named 5th most child-friendly art museum in the U.S. by Child magazine. Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an art museum founded in 1895 by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The museum holds a distinguished collection of contemporary art, including film and video works. The museum was the first museum in the United States with a strong focus on contemporary art. As instructed by its founder Andrew"
"Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially ""the Met"", is the largest art museum in the United States. With 7.06 million visitors to its three locations in 2016, it was the third most visited art museum in the world, and the fifth most visited museum of any kind. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments. The main building, on the eastern edge of Central Park along Museum Mile in Manhattan 's Upper East Side is by area one of the world's largest art galleries. A much smaller"
"the Lowell Museum. Then in 1841, Moses opened the Boston Museum. The museum, rebuilt in 1846 and 1880, displayed a large number of stuffed birds and animals (later owned by the Boston Society of Natural History), several remains of Greek sculpture (now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), and several historical portraits by John Singleton Copley. The Museum was immediately successful. In the late spring of 1842, Kimball traveled to New York City to meet his rival, P. T. Barnum, in person. He brought with him a large oblong box containing a most unusual curiosity: an embalmed mermaid purchased"
"on May 1, 2015. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the museum's namesake and founder, was a well-regarded sculptor as well as a serious art collector. As a patron of the arts, she had already achieved some success as the creator of the ""Whitney Studio Club"", a New York–based exhibition space which she created in 1918 to promote the works of avant-garde and unrecognized American artists. Whitney favored the radical art of the American artists of the Ashcan School such as John Sloan, George Luks and Everett Shinn, as well as others such as Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, Charles Demuth, Charles Sheeler, and"
"met in Quebec City, QC during the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Museums (now the American Alliance of Museums). It was granted Charter by the Secretary of State on September 10, 1947. Founding Members and their institutions (at the time): In addition to the above, eight more observers were present at the founding event and are recognized as founding members (as opposed to delegates). The 1988 controversy surrounding ""The Spirit Sings"" exhibition at the Glenbow Museum led to the creation of a task force to assess and address issues of Indigenous involvement in museums, access to museum"
"now the sixteenth largest in the United States. In 2013, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was renamed The Ringling. Aside from the art museum, the estate also contains the Ringling's mansion, Ca' d'Zan, Mable Ringling's rose garden, the Circus Museum and Tibbals Learning Center, the historic Asolo Theater, the Ringling Art Library, the Secret Garden, gravesite of John and Mable Ringling and the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. The Dwarf Garden showcases stone statues that the Ringlings brought back with them during their years of travel in Europe. Ca' d'Zan, (Venetian for ""House of John""), is"
"is the largest art museum in the state of Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The museum is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museums program. The Wadsworth, as it is most commonly known, was constructed on the site of the family home of Daniel Wadsworth in the heart of downtown Hartford. Its architects were Alexander Jackson Davis and Ithiel Town, who designed the ""castle"" that is the Atheneum's oldest building. Construction began in 1842 after the museum was incorporated on June 1 of that year. The museum opened on July 31,"
"National Museum of Catholic Art and History The National Museum of Catholic Art and History is a museum in Washington, D.C., focusing on Roman Catholic art. It was formerly located in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by Christina Cox in 1995. Cox opened the first Catholic museum in the United States after receiving a standard blessing from then-Pope John Paul II. The museum has received support from the Archdiocese of New York although there is no connection between the two. Following controversy regarding the museum's status as a charity and its collection of funds, the archdiocese"
"The Henry Ford The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex and a National Historic Landmark in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contains the presidential limousine of John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre, Thomas Edison's laboratory, the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop, the Rosa Parks bus, and many other historical exhibits. It is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the United States and is visited by over 1.7 million people"