monies needed for the museum, a gift that would ensure that the museum could open debt-free. On November 24, 1995, the American Visionary Art Museum opened to the public. In her inaugural address, Hoffberger stated that “...the American Visionary Art Museum opens its doors of perception not in an effort to make war on academic or institutionalized learning, but to create a place where the best of self-taught, intuitive contributions of all kinds will be duly recognized, explored, and then championed in a clear strong voice." This statement is echoed in the museum’s Seven Education Goals, penned by Hoffberger, which serve as part of the museum’s mission to function as an education center for “visionary art.” These goals were also adopted by The Lower East Side Girls Club when it was founded in 1996. AVAM’s Seven Educational Goals: Expand the definition of a worthwhile life. Engender respect for and delight in the gift of others. Increases awareness of the wide variety of choices available in life for all, particularly students. Encourage each individual to build upon his or her own special knowledge and inner strengths. Promote the use of innate intelligence, intuition, self-exploration and creative self-reliance. Confirm the great hunger for finding out just what each of us can do best, in our voice, at any age. Empower the individual to choose to do that something really, really well Today, the museum is known internationally and welcomes over 100,000 visitors annually. In a 2012 article for Maryland Life Magazine, Donya Curie wrote “...in a world where the average earned income—money taken in directly through admission prices and rental fees for weddings, etc.—for an art museum is 29 percent, AVAM reached an all-time record of 72 percent in 2011. “It’s just about unheard of,” Hoffberger says proudly." In the same article, Hoffberger also said, “I think a good museum does more than just have objects that stand there on pedestals. The great ones are all muse-based, connecting viewers to the heart of inspiration." In a 2013 NEA Arts Magazine interview, she remarked, "Visionaries perceive potential and creative relationships where most of us don't. Without visionaries' willingness to be called fools, to make mistakes, to be wrong, few new 'right' things would ever be birthed.” Awards and accolades In 1998, Hoffberger was elected and served as a member of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce. The previous year, she won The Urban