Museum - A building where objects of interest or value are collected, conserved, exhibited, and interpreted. The discipline of designing, organizing (curating and preparing exhibits), and directing museums is called museology. The term "museum" harks back to the Greek origin of the institution as the abode of the muses, a place of learning and inspiration. Museums are important cultural institutions, symbols of power, stature, and sophistication. In the United States alone there are more than 1,250 art museums, half of which are less than 25 years old. Many of these are devoted to modern and contemporary art and are among the most important buildings in their communities. Once seen as elitist, these institutions enjoy broad popular appeal, diverse audiences and a substantial amount of private as well as public support. Museums are seen to be educational instruments for the systematic organization and presentation of artistic and natural phenomena. Museums are really the creation of the 18th century period known as the Enlightenment. The museum stands in contrast to the Kunstkabinette and Kunstkammer, or cabinet and chamber of curiosities, of the Renaissance, where odd and wondrous rarities were brought together for private contemplation and pleasure. Although the museum's role is more educational, looking at art in either the Kunstkammer or the museum remains both a sensory as well as a pedagogical activity. Frank Lloyd Wright (American, 1867-1959), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Today's art museums range in size and type from large, publicly financed institutions, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to small, privately supported rural ones like the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, CN. Some, like Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, have encyclopedic collections; others, like the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, have highly specialized ones. Along with the monies they raise through entrance fees, museums are supported by a broad range of activities from elaborate fundraising programs, to running or managing restaurants, gift and book shops, and publishing brochures and catalogues. Their collections grow by a number of means, chief among which are through gifts from donors and from purchases. Museums operate under the leadership of a board of trustees, who oversee the activities of a director, a person who in turn supervises the work of curators, preparators, registrars, librarians, security guards, and others. Museums also rely upon the labors of volunteers, many of whom act as docents, receptionists, and clerks. Examples: Smithsonian Institution@ Metropolitan Museum of Art@ National Gallery London, The - collection information and schedule of events. Le Louvre@ Holland Museums National Gallery of Art@ Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - including the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Museo Nacional del Prado - offers a virtual tours, museum history, visiting information and more. van Gogh Museum - features pictures of Vincent van Gogh's works along with descriptions. Centre for Contemporary Art (Warsaw, Poland) - information on the pernament collection, documentary archives, and temporary exhibitions, in Polish and English. Royal Castle in Warsaw - monument of Polish history and culture providing a setting for cultural events, art exhibits, and official state ceremonies. Palace Museum - preserves and displays nearly a million art treasures ˜fƒ"recording Chinese history and culture of the past 5000 years. National Museum in Warsaw Tate Gallery@ Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - museum of Western European painting and decorative arts. Includes an extensive collection of Dutch masters. Asia Society@ Cleveland Museum of Art - Works of Art online, exhibition highlights, events, visitor information, educational information, lots of Egyptian facts. Detroit Institute of Arts - Includes images & information from our galleries and exhibitions, DIA event and educational program schedules, and information on membership, museum shops, and more. Victoria and Albert Museum@ Museum of London - includes online exhibits and information on events and admission. Tells the fascinating story of London from prehistoric times to the present day. Brooklyn Museum of Art - collection includes art of Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Ancient Egypt, and the Americas; painting, sculpture, and decorative arts. Getty, The@ Los Angeles County Museum of Art@ Ho-Am Art Museum - virtual exhibit showing some of the collection including artifacts from celadon and porcelain pieces to Koryo Buddhist paintings and handicrafts. In English and Korean. Museum of Fine Arts - Boston@ Museum of Fine Arts - Houston - collections from ancient sculpture to contemporary photography. Museums of Russia - comprehensive site offers photos, details and explanations of museums. In Russian. Kyoto National Museum - repository of Japanese and East Asian art. Extensive site includes detailed images, articles for children, and online exhibitions. Art Institute of Chicago@ Musée d'Orsay@ Royal British Columbia Museum, The - features visitor and program information. High Museum of Art - includes images of contemporary art; 19th and 20th century furniture; American and European painting; African art; folk art, and photography. Dallas Museum of Art - rich in the arts of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific along with decorative and contemporary art. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - collections of works from avant-garde movements of the past and contemporary works. Salvador Dali Museum - offers the world's most comprehensive collection of original works by Salvador Dalí. Royal Ontario Museum@ Frick Collection and Frick Art Reference Library, NY - virtual tour of the museum, and telnet access to the FRESCO, the library catalog for art research. Museum of Contemporary Art - collects, exhibits, and intreprets art created since 1940 in all media and preserves it for future generations. St Louis Art Museum - dedicated to art and free to all. Peabody Essex Museum - collections of art, architecture, and cultural history since 1799.

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