SENATE MEMORIAL 49

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2011

INTRODUCED BY

Eric G. Griego

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT TO PROPERLY HONOR ALFONSO "AL" OTERO FOR HIS ROLE AS ORIGINATOR AND FOUNDER OF THE PROJECT TO ESTABLISH THE NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER WITH THE PUBLIC DISPLAY OF A PERMANENT WORK OF ART AT THE CENTER.

     WHEREAS, Alfonso "Al" Otero honorably served the New Mexico legislature as a state representative for three terms, from 1983 to 1988; and

     WHEREAS, during his tenure in the house of representatives, Al Otero was passionate about and worked diligently toward the creation of a national center celebrating Hispanic culture and art; and

     WHEREAS, the idea for a center grew out of Al Otero's personal history, which can be traced back to 1597 when Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate came to colonize New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, prior to the establishment of the center, much vital Hispanic historical and cultural information was stored in libraries and archives and rarely shown to the general public; and

     WHEREAS, Al Otero had a vision for a Hispanic cultural center that would serve to promote understanding and goodwill between various ethnic cultures; and

     WHEREAS, his dream involved establishing a venue in which to showcase Hispanic cultural contributions to the great melting pot that is the United States, and locating this cultural center in New Mexico where a rich Hispanic history has been celebrated for generations; and

     WHEREAS, Alfonso "Al" Otero introduced House Joint Memorial 19 in 1986, during the second session of the thirty-seventh legislature, calling for the office of cultural affairs, the university of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque to cooperate on a study of the need for a Hispanic cultural center and museum, to be located in the Barelas area of Albuquerque where he grew up; and

     WHEREAS, this joint memorial passed, setting into motion the plans, funding and organization that, fourteen years later, would become the national Hispanic cultural center, an institution dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world; and

     WHEREAS, today, the national Hispanic cultural center is a mature organization that has staged over twenty art exhibitions and four hundred programs in the visual, performing and literary arts, featuring local, national and international artists; and

     WHEREAS, the national Hispanic cultural center is one of eight museums managed and supported by the cultural affairs department; and

     WHEREAS, the center is a world-class institute for Hispanic arts and culture, located in the South Valley of Albuquerque; and

     WHEREAS, it is wholly appropriate to recognize and honor Alfonso "Al" Otero, without whose vision, dedication and commitment this New Mexico treasure would not exist;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the cultural affairs department be requested to properly honor Alfonso "Al" Otero for his role as originator and founder of the project to establish the national Hispanic cultural center with the public display of a permanent work of art at the center; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of cultural affairs, the executive director of the national Hispanic cultural center, the secretary of state and Alfonso "Al" Otero.

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