At 10:01 PM 4/14/98 -0600, you wrote:
>For reasons I will not go into, I am conducting an informal survey as to the
>top 10 U.S. art museums based on the following criteria: permanent
>collections, exhibitions, educational programming, facilities.

>Comments? Votes?

I'd like to put in the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Scupture Garden.
They've got a nice space, tho' not as big as the National Gallery, a great
educational program, a killer gift shop (okay not a big criteria but I've
gotten some great jewelry from there :), and a decent collection.  I think
their strongest feature is a family guide to the Hirshhorn which is this
little folder that has exhibit cards featuring a piece of work on display.
This card is geared toward children with fun facts about the object, it's
location, facts about the artist and the style that he/she used as well as
thought provoking questions that children can discuss with their parents.
It's also fun for adults too.

>And second question - If you could work for any Art Museum in the Country -
>who would you want to work for and why?

Sheepishly, I'll admit I probably haven't been to 10 art museums unless you
count art exhibits in other types of museums (I'm a science-history museum
person :).  Though if I had my druthers, I'd like to work for the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY because a) they've got a costume
collection to drool over (put that degree in costume history to work!!) and
b) they've got an armor collection to drool over as well, and c) Egyptian
collection, need I say more?

Oh and remember that the National Gallery of Art in DC is actually 2
museums composed of the East and West Wings.  I always forget which is
which but one is modern art and the other is everything else.

Deb Fuller