TITLE: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the El Paso Museum of Art.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the El Paso Museum of Art.

FULL TEXT:
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