44TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1999

HONORING THE LATE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE FOR HER MANY COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE NEW GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM FOR ITS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS.

WHEREAS, New Mexicans are proud of the association between the late Georgia O'Keeffe and their state, being fond in particular of her unique appreciation and expression of the beauty found here; and

WHEREAS, as a member of the small community of Abiquiu, Miss O'Keeffe ignored her celebrity and, with the same honest humility, the people of her village protected her privacy; and

WHEREAS, in the best tradition of genuine neighborliness, Miss O'Keeffe quietly contributed to a variety of community projects, including the construction of Abiquiu's modern domestic water delivery system and the community gymnasium that is used for sporting events, weddings and other community gatherings; and

WHEREAS, the artist was the main private contributor to the new public elementary school built in the 1970s; and

WHEREAS, her generosity helped several local businesses get started, and she herself regularly employed as many as a dozen village residents in various capacities; and

WHEREAS, Georgia O'Keeffe contributed to or paid for the college education of numerous young Abiquiu students, even sending some to study in Europe; and

WHEREAS, thanks to the generosity of Santa Fe philanthropists Anne and John Marion, our capital city now boasts the Georgia O'Keefe museum with the largest and only permanent collection of the artist's works in the world; and

WHEREAS, opened in mid-1997, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum has drawn nearly five hundred thousand visitors from all over the world; and

WHEREAS, the museum offers free to the public a variety of education and outreach programs, including professional development workshops and seminars for teachers and art educators and an intensive art and leadership summer program for girls; and

WHEREAS, other community programs offered by the Georgia O'Keeffe museum include collaborations with schools, arts councils, educational outreach in human service and community agencies, family programs, arts after school, statewide lectures and scholarly speakers, a docent program and a university internship program;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it honor the late artist Georgia O'Keeffe for sharing her singular perspective of New Mexico with us and the rest of the world; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all New Mexicans and the public appreciate her very real contributions to community life in her adopted village of Abiquiu; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Marion family be honored for its vision in establishing the Georgia O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe as a major international attraction and a highly appropriate living memorial to an artist of genius; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and to the Marion family.