|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, One of the oldest museums in the Lone Star State, the |
|
Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin is marking its 100th anniversary on |
|
April 6, 2011; and |
|
WHEREAS, German-born sculptor Elisabet Ney earned |
|
international renown in the 19th century with her portraiture, |
|
including busts of Arthur Schopenhauer and Otto von Bismarck and |
|
statues of Texas heroes Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, which |
|
stand today in the State Capitol; after moving to Texas, she served |
|
as a powerful advocate for arts, culture, and education; her |
|
neoclassical studio in Hyde Park became a gathering place for |
|
influential citizens who went on to found The University of Texas |
|
Art Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Fine |
|
Arts Association, and museums and art schools throughout the state; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, On April 6, 1911, the Elisabet Ney Museum was |
|
founded on the grounds of the late artist's former studio by more |
|
than 100 of her friends and admirers, among them governors, |
|
senators, and the president of The University of Texas; the |
|
institution has since welcomed millions of visitors and built a |
|
worldwide reputation for excellence; the National Trust for |
|
Historic Preservation selected it for its prestigious Historic |
|
Artists' Homes and Studios program and the White House designated |
|
it as an official project of the Save America's Treasures program in |
|
2003; moreover, it was featured in a celebrated Ney retrospective |
|
at the Stadtmuseum Munster in Germany; and |
|
WHEREAS, Furthering Ms. Ney's vision for the arts and |
|
education, the museum is visited by schoolchildren from all over |
|
the state and is a resource for their studies of early Texas |
|
history; scholars in many fields use the museum in their research, |
|
and its programming and exhibits serve diverse community groups and |
|
have garnered numerous awards from such organizations as the Texas |
|
Alliance for Education and the Arts and the Texas Historical |
|
Commission; and |
|
WHEREAS, The Elisabet Ney Museum has enriched the lives of |
|
innumerable people over the past century through the uplifting |
|
power of art, nature, and beauty, and it is indeed fitting to |
|
recognize its vital contributions to our state's cultural heritage; |
|
now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
|
Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial of the Elisabet Ney |
|
Museum and extend to all those associated with this exceptional |
|
institution sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for the museum as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
House of Representatives. |