The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located in New York City, is the largest art museum in the United States and among the most visited art museums in the world. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is by area one of the world's largest art galleries. There is also a much smaller second location at The Cloisters in Upper Manhattan that features medieval art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870. The founders included businessmen and financiers, as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day, who wanted to open a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. It opened on February 20, 1872, and was originally located at 681 Fifth Avenue. There is a vast collection of carpets, tapestries and all sorts of textiles in permanent exhibtions as well as periodic events. The following are a small sample of what you can expect at this magnificent museum.