HOUSE MEMORIAL 41

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024

INTRODUCED BY

Susan K. Herrera

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING JANUARY 31, 2024 "GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

 

     WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is dedicated to perpetuating the artistic legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe and to the study of interpretation of American modernism; and

     WHEREAS, through its collections, exhibitions, publications, research center and educational programs, the museum contributes to scholarly discourse and serves diverse audiences; and

     WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is the only museum in the United States dedicated to a single female artist with international status and whose work is closely associated with New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is the only museum in New Mexico to be invited to join the one-hundred-six-year-old association of art museum directors; and

     WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is the most visited art museum in New Mexico and the most visited tourist attraction in Santa Fe, drawing more than one hundred eighty-five thousand visitors annually; and

     WHEREAS, the museum held a kickoff event in October 2023 to celebrate the launch of its seventy-five-million-dollar ($75,000,000) expansion; and

     WHEREAS, local architect Devendra Contractor is designing the new building, and nearly an acre of green space is set to replace the museum's education annex in downtown Santa Fe; and

     WHEREAS, to date, donors from all over the world have raised eighty percent of the total cost, which is over sixty million dollars ($60,000,000); and

     WHEREAS, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum collection includes one hundred forty oil paintings, one hundred twenty watercolors and thousands of photographs relating to O'Keeffe's life; and

     WHEREAS, the project will triple the museum's gallery space to allow for the museum to profoundly tell the story of Georgia O'Keeffe's art, life and legacy;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that January 31, 2024 be declared "Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Day" in the house of representatives; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the board of directors of the Georgia O'Keeffe museum.

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