[1] In 1978, a group of Fresno civic leaders began to explore the possibility of creating a regional museum for the San Joaquin Valley.

Since that time, the Museum has attracted more than two million people with its programs in art and science with diverse exhibitions including A T. rex Named Sue, Masterworks from the Albertina, Georgia O'Keeffe: Visions of the Sublime, Variations on a Theme: American Prints from Pop Art to Minimalism and Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body.

In 1995, the Met received a Central California Excellence in Business Award in the non-profit category as presented by The Fresno Bee, and American Alliance of Museums accreditation status in July 2007.

[3] The museum's fourth floor consisted of a large gallery space that also served as a forum for educational purposes and housed the Michaelis Classroom in an adjacent room.

The Docent Outreach Project which allowed teachers in grades 1 through 3 to take advantage of the Met's programming without traveling to the museum.

The Met on the Move was the latest addition to the City of Fresno's Department of Parks After School, Recreation & Community Services Mobile Fleet.