45th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2002

REQUESTING THAT FEBRUARY 6, 2002 BE DESIGNATED AS "INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS DAY".

WHEREAS, since its inception in 1962, the institute of American Indian arts has successfully fulfilled its mission of serving as a national multi-tribal center of higher education for Native American youth, dedicated to the study, creative application, preservation and care of Indian arts and cultures; and

WHEREAS, the institute is now a four-year college that has generated substantial national media attention for its unique cultural arts program and its Indian-developed philosophy of education; and

WHEREAS, the institute is unique in higher education for its emphasis on cultural learning, providing an educational program that inspires and builds cultural self-esteem and pride of heritage in its Native American students and that has been recognized by the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization and the world arts federation as one of the most unique cultural arts programs in the world; and

WHEREAS, the institute has educated more than three thousand seven hundred Native American students representing ninety percent of the five hundred fifty-eight federally recognized tribes in the United States, and also attracts students from Japan, Venezuela, Russia and several European countries who are inspired by the institute's learning environment; and

WHEREAS, the institute is credited with creating the contemporary Indian art movement that began in the 1960s and spread across the United States and the world, forever changing the international art scene; and

WHEREAS, institute alumni have been, and continue to be, pivotal in the national and international contemporary art scene, adding new dimensions of creativity through contemporary Native American self-expression; and

WHEREAS, the institute has greatly impacted the cultural landscape of the United States and the world through its world-renowned alumni and faculty, whose works of art grace the walls and grounds of the New Mexico capitol building, the white house, the Smithsonian national museum of the American Indian, major businesses, corporations, museums and art galleries, and whose works are contained in the British royal collection, the Aga Kahn's collection and the royal collection of one of the United Arab Emirates families; and

WHEREAS, the institute's impact on tribal communities and reservations across the United States has resulted in the implementation of initiatives that address the preservation of cultural traditions, economic sustainability through education and freedom of cultural self-expression, all of which create a stronger and more united front for native peoples; and

WHEREAS, the institute of American Indian arts will kick off its fortieth anniversary celebration with an intertribal parade on Santa Fe's historic plaza on Friday, April 19, 2002, a celebration continuing through the spring of 2003 and culminating with a national symposium that will address current and future concerns of America's native peoples;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 6, 2002 be designated as "Institute of American Indian Arts Day"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the president of the institute of American Indian arts.