[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 13 (Tuesday, February 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S771-S772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ENZI (for himself and Mr. Thomas):
  S. 2252. A bill to designate the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 
located at 2820 Rungius Road, Jackson, Wyoming, as the National Museum 
of Wildlife of the United States; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I am privileged to introduce a bill today 
that provides a national designation to the National Museum of Wildlife 
Art in Jackson, WY. As it should, a national designation signifies 
something unique that belongs to all the people of our Nation. Just as 
President Theodore Roosevelt recognized the uniqueness of Devils Tower 
in Wyoming when he proclaimed it to be the first national monument, my 
bill recognizes the uniqueness of the National Museum of Wildlife Art 
in Jackson, WY. Wildlife museums are not unusual in the United States. 
Art museums are not unusual in the United States. This museum, however, 
sets itself apart from all the others as it focuses on wildlife art. 
This interdisciplinary approach fosters education as the museum uses 
art to teach people about wildlife and encourages wildlife lovers to 
explore art. The museum's educational focus is clear in their motto 
``bringing people, wildlife and fine art together.''
  The person responsible for bringing National Museum of Wildlife Art 
to my attention is Margaret, Maggie, Webster Scarlett. Given her 
involvement and accomplishments in the museum world, Maggie knows a 
worthy museum when she sees it. In 2002, the Senate confirmed Maggie as 
a member of the National Museum and Library Services

[[Page S772]]

Board. This 24-member advisory body includes 20 Presidentially 
appointed and Senate-confirmed members of the general public who have 
demonstrated expertise in, or commitment to, library or museum 
services. She also is currently a member and past president of the 
board of trustees of the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
  The National Museum of Wildlife Art was founded in 1987 with a 
private gift of a collection of art and is accredited with the American 
Association of Museums. The National Museum of Wildlife Art features a 
collection of over 2,000 pieces of art portraying wildlife. Dating from 
2000 B.C. to the present, the collection chronicles much of the history 
of wildlife in art, focusing primarily on European and American 
painting and sculpture. The collection of American art from the 19th 
and 20th centuries is particularly strong, recording European 
exploration of the American West. Many of these works predate 
photography, making them vital representations of the frontier era in 
the history of the United States.
  Using the collection as a base, the central themes to the museum's 
programming are connections between people, wildlife, and fine art. 
Even before this designation, people from across the United States had 
discovered the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Since its inception, it 
has become an American West destination attraction with an annual 
attendance of 92,000 visitors from all over the world and an award-
winning Web site that receives more than 10,000 visits per week.
  These visitors find wildlife on the walls of the museum but also 
outside of its doors. The National Museum of Wildlife Art is housed in 
an architecturally significant and award-winning 51,000 square foot 
facility that overlooks the 28,000 acre National Elk Refuge and is 
adjacent to the Grand Teton National Park. The museum displays and 
interprets this wildlife art in one of the few remaining areas of the 
United States where native wildlife roams abundantly.
  The works in the museum are united by their subject and their 
quality. The permanent collection of the National Museum of Wildlife 
Art has grown to more than 3,000 works by important historic American 
artists including Edward Hicks, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Charles M. 
Russell, William Merritt Chase, and Alexander Calder, as well as 
contemporary American artists Steve Kestrel, Bart Walter, Nancy Howe, 
John Nieto, Jamie Wyeth, and others.
  The National Museum of Wildlife Art seeks to educate a diverse 
audience through collecting fine art focused on wildlife, presenting 
exceptional exhibitions, providing community, regional, national, and 
international outreach, and presenting extensive educational 
programming for adults and children. A national designation presents a 
great opportunity to use the invaluable resources of the National 
Museum of Wildlife Art to teach the Nation's school children, through 
on-site visits, traveling exhibits, classroom curriculum, on-line 
distance learning, and other educational initiatives.
  I look forward to officially recognizing the renown of the National 
Museum of Wildlife Art through this bill.
                                 ______