The museum's holdings represent diverse cultures and constitute the largest collection of international folk art in the world. The core collection donated by museum founder Florence Dibell Bartlett of 2,500 objects from 34 countries has grown to over 130,000 objects from more than 100 countries. The museum collection has been shaped in large part by the generous support of individuals, most notably Alexander and Susan Girard with their gift of 106,000 objects and Lloyd Cotsen's Neutrogena collection of 2,600 textiles and objects. Both gifts brought new wings to the museum for the storage and display of the artwork.
Other significant donations have included Spanish Colonial art from Charles Carroll and the Cady Wells Bequest, the Houghton Sawyer collection of historic Mexican mayólica and the Warren Gilbertson collection of Korean and Chinese ceramics. Gifts of Brazilian folk art from Katarina Real and James Bert Smith and Beej Nierengarten Smith have enhanced this collection area. J. Monroe Thorington's donation contributes to the study of European folk art and the museum is indebted to Else and Joseph Chapman for their recent gift of Japanese woodblock prints.
Also, important collections are occasionally offered for purchase to the museum. With the assistance of museum foundations, curators are able to acquire well-documented collections, such as the Donald Cordry collection of Mexican textiles, costumes and masks, Judy Frater's textiles from India, and a collection of African ironwork from Tom Joyce.
Curators conduct scholarly research on historic and contemporary collections to document and interpret the arts and cultures of people from around the world. When possible, they engage in field research to document objects and traditions in their cultural contexts that serve as a basis for interpretive exhibitions and programs. While conducting field research throughout the world, curators and consultants have the opportunity to purchase