Brooklyn Museum

With its roots stretching back to 1823, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the United States' oldest and largest art museums. Originally named the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library, the institution attracted towering American literary figures such as Walt Whitman, who was once the museum's acting librarian. After a series of restructurings, the library evolved into the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, the precursor to the Brooklyn Museum, which was imagined to become the focal point of a planned cultural, recreational, and educational district for Brooklyn. That vision holds true today.

The museum's expansive art collection contains about 1.5 million works and reflects the artistic and cultural heritage of civilizations across time and geography, with an emphasis on Egyptian and African art. Offerings such as free-admission days and educational programming embody the institution's commitment to making these works of art accessible, understandable, and enjoyable to the public.