HR0220 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0220 LRB095 11523 KXB 33611 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On December 5, 2006, the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Pilsen changed its name to the National Museum of Mexican Art in recognition of its 20th anniversary and its status as the largest and leading Mexican cultural institution in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The new tenet of the Museum is "Celebrating Our Past, Envisioning Our Future"; the tenet evokes the Museum's dedication to first voice presentation of Mexican cultural traditions, as well as the vision to be the leading cultural voice for this country's growing Mexican population; and

WHEREAS, The Museum is the largest Latino cultural organization in the United States; it is the largest in budget size, staff size, and quantity of programs; the Museum is the only Latino museum in the United States accredited by the American Association of Museums; the Museum has created more national and international touring exhibitions, such as the current African Presence in Mexico traveling exhibition, than any Latino museum in the nation; and

WHEREAS, The Museum receives more than 200,000 visitors per year from more than 60 countries; founded by teachers, the Museum's education programs directly serve more than 50,000 K- 12 students annually, and educational curriculum developed by Museum staff is distributed throughout the U.S. and Mexico; and

WHEREAS, The National Museum of Mexican Art has 8,000 items in its permanent collection; the collection is one of the five largest collections of Mexican art in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, Chicago is home to more than 1.3 million Mexicans, and the Museum has taken a leadership role in establishing the Midwest as a national center of Mexican culture; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate those who conceived the idea of the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Museum and recognize the name change to the National Museum of Mexican Art in honor of this anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the National Museum of Mexican Art President Carlos Tortolero.