HR0309 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0309 LRB102 18524 ECR 26747 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In 1982, Carlos Tortolero organized a group of fellow educators and founded the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, which opened its doors in 1987; the museum created an award-winning youth initiative, Yollocali Arts Reach, in 1997 and was renamed the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) in 2006; and

WHEREAS, The founding mission of the National Museum of Mexican Art is to showcase the beauty and richness of Mexican culture by sponsoring events and presenting exhibitions that exemplify the majestic variety of visual and performing arts in the Mexican culture, to develop, conserve, and preserve a significant permanent collection of Mexican art, to encourage the professional development of Mexican artists, and to offer arts-education programs; and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art defines Mexican culture as sin fronteras, or without borders, and its programs and exhibitions capture the wide range of Mexican cultural expressions and art forms from ancient to modern and on both sides of the border; and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art curators are experts in Mexican art, and their passion for the museum is contagious; this can be seen from the up-close-and-personal placement of the art to the bilingual stories that guide visitors through the galleries; and

WHEREAS, Today, the National Museum of Mexican Art stands as one of the most prominent first-voice institutions for Mexican art and culture in the United States; it is home to one of the country's largest Mexican art collections, including more than 11,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to the present; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, the National Museum of Mexican Art has grown, its audience has broadened, and its reach now extends across the United States and beyond; in 2001, the museum expanded to a 48,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Pilsen; and

WHEREAS, Twenty of the National Museum of Mexican Art's exhibitions have traveled across the United States, and six have traveled to Mexico; landmark exhibitions that have traveled include The Art of the Other Mexico (1992), Maria Izquierdo (1996), The African Presence in Mexico (2006), and Frida's Contemporaries: Women Artists of Modern Mexico (2007); and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art also hosts cultural programs, including symposia, theater, dance, music, authors, and performance companies that share the rich diversity of the Mexican culture; the museum's annual Sor Juana Festival honors the accomplishments of Mexican women with women's performances; and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art offers a wide range of educational programs for children, families, teens, school groups, and educators; its art exhibitions, performance arts, and educational programs are experienced by more than 130,000 visitors annually, including 58,000 K–12 students; and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art is a nonprofit institution funded by donations and grants; and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art is a national leader and mentor for cultural institutions and community organizations and for the advocacy of "first voice" and cultural equity issues; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend the National Museum of Mexican Art for its contributions to Mexican-American culture and community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the National Museum of Mexican Art as a symbol of our esteem and respect.