HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 17

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2006

INTRODUCED BY

Jim R. Trujillo

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 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 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 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.

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