Located in the heart of downtown Columbia, S.C., the Columbia Museum of Art ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and creative educational programs. At the heart of the CMA and its programs is its collection, which encompasses 7,000 works and spans 5,000 years of art history. It includes masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, works by significant furniture and silver makers, as well as modern and contemporary art from the present time. Of particular interest are Sandro Botticelli's Nativity, Claude Monet's The Seine at Giverny, and art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Established in 1950, the CMA now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually and is a catalyst for community creativity and education, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds. It is the recipient of a National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a National Art Education Association awards for its contributions to arts education, a National Park Foundation Award, and two Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. The CMA is undergoing extensive renovations to provide more galleries, more studios, more spaces for programs, and a new entrance on Main Street. To protect the art from construction, the upstairs collection galleries are closed through late 2018. In the meantime, the CMA will remain open throughout the entire process with a full schedule of exhibitions and programs on the first floor.