[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 701 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 701

                 Honoring the life of Michael P. Smith.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            October 1 (legislative day, September 17), 2008

Ms. Landrieu submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
                 Honoring the life of Michael P. Smith.

Whereas Michael P. Smith was an award-winning photographer nationally recognized 
        for his work over 4 decades documenting the music, culture, and folklife 
        of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana;
Whereas Michael P. Smith greatly influenced the understanding of New Orleans and 
        Louisiana of people around the world;
Whereas Michael P. Smith's work captured and made accessible the environment, 
        social structures, and neighborhoods that both create and sustain the 
        musical traditions of New Orleans;
Whereas Michael P. Smith was born in Metairie, Louisiana, the son of a member of 
        the Rex organization and the Boston Club, was a star athlete, and 
        graduated from Metairie Park Country Day School and Tulane University;
Whereas Michael P. Smith was the only person to photograph at every New Orleans 
        Jazz & Heritage Festival since the festival began in 1970 until his 
        retirement in 2004, when he was honored with a major grandstand 
        exhibition and photo kiosks placed around the fairgrounds at the 
        festival;
Whereas Michael P. Smith received 2 Photographer's Fellowships from the National 
        Endowment for the Arts early in his career and his prints have toured 
        worldwide through the United States Information Agency (USIA);
Whereas Michael P. Smith's work has been presented at the National Museum of 
        American History, the International Center for Photography in New York, 
        and the LeRoy Neiman Gallery at Columbia University, as well as numerous 
        other museums, galleries, and jazz festivals in America and Europe;
Whereas Michael P. Smith's work is part of the permanent collections of the 
        National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, the Metropolitan 
        Museum of Art in New York, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the 
        Louisiana State Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the New 
        Orleans Museum of Art;
Whereas Michael P. Smith's work is represented in 5 photography books including 
        ``Spirit World: Pattern in the Expressive Folk Culture of African-
        American New Orleans'', ``A Joyful Noise: A Celebration of New Orleans 
        Music'', ``New Orleans Jazz Fest: A Pictorial History'', ``Jazz Fest 
        Memories'', and ``Mardi Gras Indians'', which is a visual and 
        sociological history of the unique masking and musical traditions still 
        alive in the older Black neighborhoods of New Orleans;
Whereas Michael P. Smith's photographs grace the covers of many compact discs 
        and record albums, illustrate numerous books and magazine articles 
        published in America and Europe, and are in continual demand for 
        documentary films produced at home and abroad;
Whereas Michael P. Smith won numerous awards for his work, including the 2002 
        Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Endowment for the 
        Humanities, the (New Orleans) Mayor's Arts Award, the Clarence John 
        Laughlin Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Orleans chapter of the 
        American Society of Magazine Photographers, and the Artist Recognition 
        Award from the New Orleans Museum of Arts's Delgado Society;
Whereas Michael P. Smith was an original owner and a founder of Tipitina's, the 
        iconic club that has featured, and continues to feature, the best and 
        brightest of New Orleans music; and
Whereas Michael P. Smith is survived by a companion, Karen Louise Snyder, 2 
        daughters, Jan Lamberton Smith of Quail Springs, California, and Leslie 
        Blackshear Smith of New Orleans, a brother, Joseph Byrd Hatchitt Smith 
        of Port Angeles, Washington, and 2 grandchildren: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the life of Michael P. Smith;
            (2) recognizes Michael P. Smith for his invaluable 
        contributions as a cultural archivist of New Orleans and 
        Louisiana history and culture;
            (3) recommits itself to ensuring that artists such as 
        Michael P. Smith receive recognition for their creative and 
        cultural endeavors; and
            (4) extends condolences to his family on the death of this 
        talented and beloved man.
                                 <all>