[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE OPENING OF THE de YOUNG MUSEUM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to announce the 
reopening and dedication of the de Young Museum in San Francisco on 
October 15, 2005. I join with the Mayor and the people of San Francisco 
in celebrating the new de Young in our vibrant arts community.
  Founded in 1895, the de Young Museum has been an integral part of San 
Francisco's Golden Gate Park for over 100 years. We have the de Young 
family to thank for establishing this vital center for the arts. M.H. 
de Young was the driving force behind establishing a permanent home for 
exhibits featured in the California Midwinter International Exposition 
of 1894. He set about establishing a diverse and fascinating permanent 
collection accessible to all San Franciscans that he hoped one day 
would become ``the pride of the Golden State.''
  After sustaining extensive damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, 
the de Young building was closed in 2000 to make way for a new and 
seismically stable home for the city's treasured art collections. 
Designed to complement its natural surroundings, the new de Young will 
allow museum guests and park visitors alike to travel effortlessly from 
the park's pathways to the museum's entryways and the sculpture and 
children's gardens surrounding the museum. The new de Young offers 
twice the exhibition space of the old building, doubles its arts 
education space and programming in the new Hamon Education Tower and 
allows access to a third of the museum free of charge.
  In addition to showcasing the permanent collection, the new building 
will mean that the de Young is once again the Bay Area's premier venue 
for special exhibitions. The de Young will inaugurate its new special 
exhibition galleries with an ambitious exhibition showcasing objects 
from Egypt's Golden Age, Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh.
  Over one hundred objects from this period will be on view, including 
treasures from these conquered territories, ornate royal possessions, 
and monumental sculptures and reliefs.
  Its groundbreaking design will provide a spectacular art habitat for 
the extensive and diverse collections of the de Young, which will 
encompass American painting and decorative arts, and arts of the 
Americas, the Pacific Island, and Africa. The new de Young will present 
visitors with an exceptional view of the distinctions and connections 
among the art of different cultures and eras of creativity.
  I would also like to recognize the work of Dede Wilsey, President of 
the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's Board of Trustees. Mrs. Wilsey 
has served as Chairman of the de Young's capital campaign since 1995 
and President of the Board of Trustees since 1998. As Chairman of the 
capital campaign, she has successfully led the museum in securing over 
$190 million in funding from nearly 7,000 private donors, making the 
new de Young the largest privately funded cultural gift ever amassed 
for the City of San Francisco. Mrs. Wilsey mobilized a broad spectrum 
of support from trustees, museum members, community leaders and elected 
officials to support and contribute to the new de Young.
  Harry S. Parker III, Director for the Fine Arts Museums of San 
Francisco, has spearheaded the design and collections to be housed in 
the new de Young. His critical eye, his unwavering commitment, and his 
distinct understanding of art have brought the de Young to its stature 
in the world.
  The de Young and its sister museum, the Legion of Honor, make up the 
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco--the largest public arts institution 
in the City of San Francisco and one of the largest and most celebrated 
arts museums in the United States. The Museums remain committed to 
presenting stellar art collections for San Franciscans and visitors to 
San Francisco. Today we have a world-class museum, and a national 
treasure, in our community to share with the world.

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