Having stepped up to the educational challenge of their public service mission, many public art museums now employ more educators than curators, and attendance numbers continue to swell. Museum professionals have become more aware of the multiple dimensions that go into making a successful museum experience for their patrons. The increased rigor of the art museum's overall function has been accomplished under four major dimensions, each of which impacts higher learning: (1) Each exhibition should have a curatorial thesis which states the reasons for the exhibition and declares its intention and major messages; (2) The museum environment plays a major role in establishing the viewing conditions for visitors, organizing and facilitating their experiences; (3) Knowledge about the visitors is fundamental to establishing the right kind of rapport with the exhibitions; and (4) Well-grounded education strategies draw visitors into the exhibition and help them derive personal meaning from their encounters. The author concludes that museums are in themselves an art form and that they connect with people's lives, affording visitors the opportunity to connect with each other and the world in which they live--past, present, and future. The author advocates that gifted students' mental and emotional perceptiveness, their persistence and curiosity, and their independence of thought make them prime candidates for the tapestry of learning that art museums provide.