[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 108 (Monday, August 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   RECOGNIZING THE AMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate joint resolution, (S.J. Res. 204) recognizing the American 
Academy in Rome, an American overseas center for independent study and 
advanced research, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its 
founding.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                             S.J. Res. 204

       Whereas the American Academy in Rome was established 100 
     years ago in Italy as the foremost American overseas center 
     for independent study and advanced research on the fine arts 
     and the humanities;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome has been a constant, 
     active force for the enrichment of American culture, as year 
     after year its Fellows and Residents have returned to the 
     United States, enriched by the cultural heritage of Italy, 
     and have conveyed their enrichment to their compatriots;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome has maintained and 
     expanded upon the basis of its founding, and currently serves 
     more than 3,000 people annually with its fellowship and 
     residency programs, its unique research library, a series of 
     summer programs, and projects in archaeology and publishing, 
     and serves thousands of other people who participate in 
     Academy concerts, lectures, symposia, exhibitions, and other 
     special events in Rome and the United States;
       Whereas the central purpose of the American Academy in Rome 
     is its fellowship program, the Academy being committed to 
     identifying and nurturing the most promising American talent 
     available through the annual Rome Prize Fellowships 
     competition and related programs;
       Whereas since its founding, the American Academy in Rome 
     has awarded more than 2,500 fellowships and residencies in 
     the fields of architecture, design arts, landscape 
     architecture, conservation and historic preservation, 
     literature, musical composition, visual arts, classical 
     studies archaeology, art history, modern Italian studies, and 
     post-classical humanistic studies;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome provides its gifted 
     Fellows and Residents with the opportunity to develop and 
     refine their professional, artistic, and scholarly potential 
     through working on their own projects, interaction with their 
     colleagues, and association with members of the Italian and 
     European scholarly and artistic communities;
       Whereas Fellows and Residents of the American Academy in 
     Rome have included 2 Nobel Prize winners, 4 United States 
     Poets Laureate, 7 National Medal of Arts winners, 9 MacArthur 
     Fellows, and 30 Pulitzer Prize winners, and have won numerous 
     other honors and awards;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome's library contains 
     111,000 volumes and ranks among the world's richest in its 
     holdings in the fields of Roman topography and archaeology, 
     and is further distinguished for its collection of rare 
     books, periodicals, and works on Italian art and 
     architecture;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome has always represented 
     and fostered excellence in scholarship, having a 
     distinguished scholarly faculty, having many of its Fellows 
     and Residents go on to occupy chairs and posts of high 
     responsibility in the final colleges and universities in the 
     United States, having publications which rival in quality the 
     best that Europe produces, and having alumni who are the 
     recipients of many academic degrees, honors, and awards;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome can be proud of its 
     reputation in Roman archaeology, having been committed to 
     this lofty and exacting pursuit from its very inception, 
     having revolutionized the history of Roman republican 
     architecture and town planning by it's excavations at Cosa in 
     Etruria, and by continuing to further the development of the 
     field through its perennial engagement in the training of 
     excavators and the work of excavation;
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome relies entirely on the 
     income from its endowment, and the financial support of 
     philanthropic individuals, foundations, corporations, 
     colleges and universities across the United States, and the 
     National Endowments for the Arts and for the Humanities; and
       Whereas the American Academy in Rome is committed to 
     ensuring the availability of the Rome Prize Fellowships to 
     future generations of Americans as the United States 
     approaches the 21st century: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     American Academy in Rome, an American overseas center for 
     independent study and advanced research based in Rome, Italy, 
     which has played a pivotal role in the transference of 
     culture between the United States and Italy, fostering 
     international cultural relations between the two countries, 
     be recognized for its contributions to America's cultural and 
     intellectual life on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of 
     its founding.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey [Mr. Torricelli] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Torricelli].
  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. TORRICELLI asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. Speaker, this resolution was adopted by the 
Senate by voice vote on July 15 and agreed to by the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs last Wednesday. Senate Joint Resolution 204 is 
straightforward. It commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding 
of the American Academy in Rome. The academy currently serve thousands 
of people in a variety of programs, ranging from fellowships and 
residency programs to concerts, lectures, symposia, and other exhibits. 
The academy is also the site of one of the most extensive collections 
of literature on Roman topography and archaeology, as well as rare 
books, periodicals, and works on Italian art and architecture. The 
American Academy is an enduring symbol of the long and productive 
relationship between our Government and the Government of Italy, as 
well as between the American and the Italian people.
  The academy has also played an important role in promoting 
international cultural relations for the last century, and this 
resolution rightfully recognizes the importance of its contributions.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge members to support the Senate joint resolution.
  Mr. Speaker I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, this bill recognizes the many achievements 
of the American Academy in Rome which, for 100 years, has provided a 
valuable center for scholarship in the fine arts and humanities. I 
would like to give special thanks to our colleague, the gentleman from 
New York [Mr. Engel], who has taken the initiative in seeing that this 
resolution is enacted. Although we are working on the version adopted 
by the Senate, Mr. Engel has been circulating a similar measure in the 
House which I had been pleased to cosponsor.
  The American Academy in Rome has acquired a distinguished reputation 
over the century of its existence. It has been a center for learning 
which has furthered our appreciation of our Western cultural heritage. 
Since its founding, the Academy has provided its facilities to over 
2,500 residents and fellows who have in turn shared their learning with 
students throughout the world.
  The Academy has included among its fellows and residents two Nobel 
Prize winners, four U.S. Poets Laureate, seven National Medal of Arts 
winners, nine MacArthur Fellows, and 30 Pulitzer Prize winners. These 
accomplishments attest to the Academy's role in nurturing the arts and 
humanities which enrich us all. It also has served as an American link 
with the rich culture of Italy.
  I hope all that House Members will now join in adopting this 
resolution which provides for Congress' befitting recognition of the 
achievements of the American Academy in Rome.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my strong support to the 
resolution recognizing the American Academy in Rome on the occasion of 
its 100th anniversary.
  One hundred years ago, the American Academy in Rome was established 
to encourage the transference of culture between the United States and 
Italy. Founded in 1894, the academy was chartered as a private 
institution by an act of Congress in 1905 in recognition of its 
contribution to America's intellectual and cultural life.
  It rapidly took its place as the foremost American overseas center 
for independent study and advanced research on the fine arts and the 
humanities. The academy has consistently proven itself as an active 
focal point for the enrichment of the American cultural experience. 
Each year, more of its fellows and residents, who have included two 
Nobel Prize winners and four United States poets Laureate, return to 
the United States with a deep understanding and feeling for Italian 
cultural heritage to share with family, friends, and colleagues.
  Since its founding, the American Academy in Rome has awarded more 
than 2,500 fellowships and residences in various fields of fine arts. 
As the cradle of the Renaissance, Italy offers these students of 
Western cultural history a location unmatched for its importance in 
areas ranging from musical competition to architecture to visual arts.
  Today, the American Academy in Rome serves more than 3,000 people 
annually. Its unique research library, summer programs, and numerous 
projects play a pivotal role in the exchange of culture the United 
States and Italy, fostering the sharing of traditions by our two 
countries.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that this effort to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the founding of the American Academy in Rome represents 
a fitting tribute to the superior work of this fine institution and a 
reiteration of the friendship between Italy and the United States. I 
urge my colleagues to support passage of this resolution.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Frank of Massachusetts). The question is 
on the motion offered by the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Torricelli] 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution, 
Senate Joint Resolution 204.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate joint resolution was 
passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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