Under his direction, the museum attendance grew from 853,996 in 1972 to 1.28 million in 1992.

But controversy has also been a good impetus for museum attendance.

Meanwhile, many people need no further convincing: museum attendance has tripled.

It pulled an audience from the mid-Atlantic states that raised museum attendance by 434 percent over the same period in 1994.

Increased museum attendance doesn't really tell us very much about a commitment to the fine arts.

In early 2012, a section of the museum's collection was digitized as part of an effort to increase museum attendance.

Ms. Baker said the debate had doubled museum attendance to about 200 viewers a day.

Yet museum attendance is not an accurate gauge of commitment.

Overall, the average annual museum attendance in the 2000s was 180,000 visitors.

The statistics indicate an underlying trend of steady growth in museum attendance.