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A JOINT MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM FOR ITS PROMINENCE IN

THE ART WORLD, ITS ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEW MEXICO AND

ITS STEWARDSHIP OF AN INVALUABLE PORTION OF AMERICA'S ARTISTIC

HERITAGE.

WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is dedicated to

perpetuating the artistic legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe and to

the study and interpretation of American modernism; and

WHEREAS, through its collections, exhibitions,

publications, research center and educational programs, the

museum contributes to scholarly discourse and serves diverse

audiences; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is the only museum

in the United States dedicated to a single woman artist with

international status and whose work is closely associated with

New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is the only museum

in New Mexico invited to join the ninety-two-year-old

association of art museum directors; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is the most visited

art museum in New Mexico and the most visited tourist

attraction in Santa Fe, drawing more than one hundred sixty-

five thousand visitors annually; and

WHEREAS, since it opened in July 1997, the museum has

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mounted more than twenty-five exhibitions, seen by nearly two

million visitors, that explored the work of Georgia O'Keeffe

as well as other American modernists, from Andy Warhol to the

legendary photographer Alfred Stieglitz; and

WHEREAS, the museum will soon quintuple its collection

in early 2006 by acquiring more than one thousand additional

O'Keeffe works from the Georgia O'Keeffe foundation; and

WHEREAS, the additional works, most of which have never

been seen by the public, will result in greatly heightened

attention to New Mexico's art scene and a substantial increase

of visitors; and

WHEREAS, more than half the museum's visitors are from

outside New Mexico and many state that the museum was a

primary reason for selecting New Mexico as a travel

destination; and

WHEREAS, tourists who come to New Mexico primarily to

visit the museum make a substantial contribution to the

economies of Santa Fe and New Mexico through admission

tickets, lodging, restaurants and by visiting other museums,

galleries and shops; and

WHEREAS, the museum's research center is the only

research facility of its kind in the country focusing

exclusively on American modernism, and it gives six

scholarships annually to predoctoral and postdoctoral students

from the nation's most prestigious universities and makes its

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unique archives accessible to researchers worldwide; and

WHEREAS, the museum's education and public programs

department continues to develop innovative projects that reach

out to New Mexico's residents, particularly its youth; and

WHEREAS, the museum's art and leadership program for

girls and boys has been recognized nationally and makes it

possible for middle-school children from all ethnic groups and

income levels to exchange outlooks and find support for their

interest in art; and

WHEREAS, more than twenty thousand students from across

New Mexico are given free access to the museum annually

through school tours; and

WHEREAS, the museum will celebrate its tenth anniversary

in 2007, a major landmark that will emphasize the museum's

rapid growth and success in a relatively short time; and

WHEREAS, for its tenth anniversary, the museum is

planning a series of major exhibitions that will travel to

other cities in the United States, bringing New Mexico

national attention;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the Georgia O'Keeffe museum be

recognized as a signature art institution in New Mexico and be

acknowledged for its increasing prominence in the art world,

its economic contributions to the tourist industries of New

Mexico and Santa Fe, its standard of excellence, its fostering

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of local pride and its stewardship of an invaluable portion of

America's artistic heritage; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

transmitted to the board of directors of the Georgia O'Keeffe

museum.