SITE: Philadelphia Museum of Art

ADDRESS: 26th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130

PHONE: 215/684-7310

WEB SITE: www.philamuseum.org

SITE INFO: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, founded in 1876, features a variety of event spaces. The museum is not available for private social functions, but is popular for nonprofit events and for corporate dinners and awards ceremonies.

EVENT AREAS: Spaces include the 70-guest-capacity Saint-Laurent Gallery; Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines Cloister, which can seat 30 for dinners; and 200-capacity museum restaurant.

SPECIAL SPACE: The 8,800-square-foot Great Stair Hall and East Balcony create a spectacular event space that features an impressive staircase with the bronze statue “Diana” by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens perched at the top. The combined area has a reception capacity of 1,200 and seated capacity of 420; it overlooks the East Terrace, an outdoor space that can accommodate 4,800 guests.

ON DISPLAY: Beginning this month and continuing through May, the museum will host a retrospective exhibition of the works of Salvador Dali, the first comprehensive exhibit of Dali's art to appear in the United States in more than 60 years.

SITE: National Museum of Women in the Arts

ADDRESS: 1250 New York Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20005

PHONE: 202/783-7366

WEB SITE: www.nmwa.org

SITE INFO: Located in downtown Washington, the Renaissance Revival-style museum houses some of the world's most important works of art by women. Event spaces are available for corporations, organizations and individuals; past clients include DreamWorks Studios, Lockheed Martin and the ISES Washington DC Chapter.

EVENT AREAS: The Third Floor Gallery features permanent collections and can be used for small seated dinners or cocktail receptions; the Performance Hall can seat 200 guests for presentations and lectures.

SPECIAL SPACE: The Great Hall and Mezzanine feature works of art from the museum's permanent collection; the space can host 500 guests for dinners or 1,000 for receptions.

ON DISPLAY: “Berthe Morisot: An Impressionist and Her Circle,” a collection of more than 75 paintings by the artist and her contemporaries, is on exhibit through May.

SITE: Library of Congress

ADDRESS: 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20540

PHONE: 202/707-5218

WEB SITE: www.loc.gov/about/facilities

SITE INFO: The national landmark Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. While private and fund-raising events are not allowed at the Library, the venue hosts more than 500 nonprofit, corporate, Congressional and Library-sponsored events a year.

EVENT AREAS: Spaces in the James Madison Building include the 250-reception-capacity Montpelier Room; Madison Hall, which can host 80 for dinner or 200 for receptions; and Mumford Room, which has a 220-guest lecture-style seating capacity.

SPECIAL SPACE: Built in the 1890s, the Italian Renaissance-style Great Hall in the Thomas Jefferson Building features marble staircases, painted wall murals and a stained-glass ceiling. The space can accommodate 450 guests for seated dinners and 1,200 for receptions.

ON DISPLAY: Private tours of the site, including the gallery overlooking the Library's Main Reading Room and the permanent “American Treasures” collection, can be arranged for event guests.

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