The Minneapolis Institute of Art has contributed more than 4500 images of assorted works from their encyclopedic permanent collection, representing diverse cultures and media across history, to the Artstor Digital LIbrary.

Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) contains approximately 89,000 works of art and objects from global cultures spanning 20,000 years. The permanent collections is divided among several curatorial areas: Arts of Africa & the Americas; Contemporary Art; Decorative Arts, Textiles & Sculpture; Asian Art (Chinese, South and Southeast Asian Art; Japanese and Korean Art); Paintings; Photography and New Media; and Prints and Drawings.

In 1880s, the Minneapolis Institute of Art was founded by 25 citizens as the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts. By 1915, the museum moved into a commissioned Beaux-Arts style building designed by McKim, Mead and White. The museum was built on donated land in the Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District, a neighborhood characterized by the homes constructed by the city’s business leaders between 1880 and 1920. The museum expanded in 1974 with an addition designed by the late Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, and in 2006, it unveiled a new wing designed by architect Michael Graves.

Mia has consistently endeavored to engage the community of Minneapolis with public events, educational programs, and a free general-admission policy. It is one of the largest arts educators in Minnesota. More than a half-million people visit the museum each year, and thousands of students are reached through the museum’s Art Adventure program for elementary schoolchildren.