Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

Narrowing down the distinctive qualities of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is a hard task, but Executive Director Victoria Ramirez had a ready answer: “First and foremost is our service to the community and commitment to the community. I’m really proud of our calendar of programming for toddlers through adults, and most of our programming is free of charge.”

Another major achievement is “our ability to put Little Rock on a national and global cultural map.” An illustration of that was Forbes’ description of the museum, after its reopening following a major renovation, as “America’s most inviting art museum.”

The museum, which serves about 150,000 people annually, has welcomed visitors from every state and dozens of countries, drawn to exhibits like last year’s “Rivera’s Paris.” That makes it an important driver of economic development, Ramirez said. “People are coming to Little Rock because they want to see what’s happening at this museum.”