The National Museum of African Art is the nation's premier museum devoted to the collection, conservation and exhibition of African art. Best known for its broad-based art collection of 8000 works from the entire continent and from ancient times to the present, the museum is also home to the only conservation lab in America focused exclusively on the preservation of African art. Its library with 20,000 volumes and archive of 300,000 photographic prints is open to scholars, students and the public. The museum engages the community through exhibitions and public programs and through special opportunities extended to its membership program, friends of African Art.