Bill Text: TX HR921 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the El Paso Museum of Art.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2011-04-15 - Reported enrolled [HR921 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR921-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 921 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The El Paso Museum of Art is celebrating its 50th | ||
| anniversary with an outstanding yearlong series of exhibitions; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Since its opening on December 11, 1960, the museum | ||
| has amassed a permanent collection of more than 6,000 works of | ||
| American, Mexican, and European art and has hosted world-class | ||
| touring exhibits; accredited by the American Association of | ||
| Museums, the El Paso Museum of Art constitutes an exceptional | ||
| cultural and educational asset for its city, as well as for the | ||
| greater West Texas--Mexico border region; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The museum traces its roots to 1958, when the Samuel | ||
| Kress Foundation offered the city of El Paso 57 paintings and 2 | ||
| sculptures from its collection of Western European masterworks; | ||
| receipt of this gift came with strict requirements for housing the | ||
| art, necessitating expansion of the historic W. W. Turney mansion, | ||
| which then housed the El Paso International Museum; with the deed to | ||
| the international museum transferred to the city, El Paso passed a | ||
| $750,000 bond issue to build two new wings to house the Kress | ||
| collection, which became the foundation of the museum's holdings; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, By the 1980s the El Paso Museum of Art had outgrown | ||
| its original location, and it began to search for new quarters; to | ||
| meet its needs, the city purchased the 104,000-square-foot | ||
| Greyhound Bus terminal in downtown El Paso in 1989; the terminal | ||
| underwent an $8 million renovation beginning in 1996, and on August | ||
| 27, 1998, the museum opened at its current address; today the | ||
| facility includes nine galleries, an auditorium, an art library, | ||
| classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, and a gift shop; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The museum is run by the City of El Paso, and the | ||
| majority of its operating budget comes from taxpayers; in 1998 the | ||
| El Paso Museum of Art Foundation was formed to create an endowment | ||
| to cover the remaining operating costs and to provide funding for | ||
| new acquisitions and for preservation; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Dr. Michael A. Tomor, an El Paso native, now serves | ||
| as director of the museum; to commemorate its 50th anniversary, he | ||
| and his staff are staging a number of events over the course of | ||
| 2011, including major exhibitions featuring the work of the French | ||
| Impressionists and the illustrator Norman Rockwell, as well as | ||
| shows devoted to local artists; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A vital cultural resource, for five decades the El | ||
| Paso Museum of Art has enriched the community with its exhibitions | ||
| and educational outreach programs, and its significant | ||
| achievements are indeed worthy of recognition; now, therefore, be | ||
| it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the El Paso | ||
| Museum of Art and extend to all those associated with the museum | ||
| sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for the El Paso Museum of Art as an expression of high | ||
| regard by the Texas House of Representatives. | ||
| Marquez | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 921 was adopted by the House on April | ||
| 7, 2011, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
