Open to the public since 1903, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum houses the personal collection of its namesake exactly as she laid it out over 120 years ago. The three-story villa and courtyard display paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, rare books, and decorative arts from medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy, Asia and the Islamic World. Presently, the Gardner Museum presents three special exhibitions per year that foster dialogue between contemporary issues and the museum’s historic collection. It supports emerging, mid-career, and established artists through exhibitions, public art projects, artist residencies, and the Neighborhood Salon—all programs that amplify living artists’ voices, encourage community engagement, and create opportunities for creative risk-taking.