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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 1982, Carlos Tortolero organized a group of
3fellow educators and founded the Mexican Fine Arts Center
4Museum, which opened its doors in 1987; the museum created an
5award-winning youth initiative, Yollocali Arts Reach, in 1997
6and was renamed the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) in
72006; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The founding mission of the National Museum of
9Mexican Art is to showcase the beauty and richness of Mexican
10culture by sponsoring events and presenting exhibitions that
11exemplify the majestic variety of visual and performing arts
12in the Mexican culture, to develop, conserve, and preserve a
13significant permanent collection of Mexican art, to encourage
14the professional development of Mexican artists, and to offer
15arts-education programs; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art defines
17Mexican culture as sin fronteras, or without borders, and its
18programs and exhibitions capture the wide range of Mexican
19cultural expressions and art forms from ancient to modern and
20on both sides of the border; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art curators are
22experts in Mexican art, and their passion for the museum is

 

 

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1contagious; this can be seen from the up-close-and-personal
2placement of the art to the bilingual stories that guide
3visitors through the galleries; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Today, the National Museum of Mexican Art stands
5as one of the most prominent first-voice institutions for
6Mexican art and culture in the United States; it is home to one
7of the country's largest Mexican art collections, including
8more than 11,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to the
9present; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Over the years, the National Museum of Mexican
11Art has grown, its audience has broadened, and its reach now
12extends across the United States and beyond; in 2001, the
13museum expanded to a 48,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art
14facility in the heart of Pilsen; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Twenty of the National Museum of Mexican Art's
16exhibitions have traveled across the United States, and six
17have traveled to Mexico; landmark exhibitions that have
18traveled include The Art of the Other Mexico (1992), Maria
19Izquierdo (1996), The African Presence in Mexico (2006), and
20Frida's Contemporaries: Women Artists of Modern Mexico (2007);
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art also hosts

 

 

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1cultural programs, including symposia, theater, dance, music,
2authors, and performance companies that share the rich
3diversity of the Mexican culture; the museum's annual Sor
4Juana Festival honors the accomplishments of Mexican women
5with women's performances; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art offers a wide
7range of educational programs for children, families, teens,
8school groups, and educators; its art exhibitions, performance
9arts, and educational programs are experienced by more than
10130,000 visitors annually, including 58,000 K–12 students; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art is a nonprofit
12institution funded by donations and grants; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art is a national
14leader and mentor for cultural institutions and community
15organizations and for the advocacy of "first voice" and
16cultural equity issues; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
18HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we commend the National Museum of Mexican Art for its
20contributions to Mexican-American culture and community; and
21be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the National Museum of Mexican Art as a symbol of
3our esteem and respect.