[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




STATEMENT RECOGNIZING THE ACCREDITATION OF THE FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL 
       HISTORY IN CHICAGO BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2006

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
recent accreditation of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago 
by the American Association of Museums. Accreditation is awarded to 
less than 5 percent of museums in the United States, and the Field 
Museum now stands among those few museums honored for its high 
professional standards and excellence in education and stewardship. 
Anyone who has ever been to the Field Museum knows than an award for 
excellence befits this well-known Chicago institution.
  Mark Twain wrote, ``It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try 
to keep up with Chicago--she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can 
make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you 
saw when you passed through the last time.'' Twain's comment remains 
timeless. Chicago's wonderful museums are never the same since the last 
time you walked down their halls, especially the Field Museum.
  As we speak, hundreds of thousands of advance tickets have been 
booked from visitors around the world who are waiting to experience the 
Field Museum's latest exhibition, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the 
Pharaohs. The Museum's commitment to educational programs for people 
from all backgrounds and educational levels, provides an important 
window to our world and an educational venue paralleled by few 
institutions of its type. The exhibits contained within the Field 
Museum elucidate remote and ancient cultural practices from around the 
world for others to learn. Their archaeological work has produced 
astonishing finds from the earth's past. Current groundbreaking work in 
avian genetics may expose important information that will help address 
an avian flu pandemic. Beyond traditional museum activities, the Field 
Museum, in collaboration with the Chicago Cultural Alliance, 
contributes to Chicago cultural life in many ways. Together the 
Alliance is developing an innovative program that targets at-risk youth 
by engaging them in arts workshops that allows them to address issues 
of identity, conflict resolution, and their heritage. These are but a 
few of the ways the Field Museum enriches all of our lives through 
discovery, education, and community outreach.
  Museum staffs go to great lengths to consult State educational 
curricula and guidelines when designing exhibits, thereby further 
enhancing the quality and relevance of the museum experience. Each 
year, we spend over $1 billion to create and stage educational exhibits 
and special programs. The men and women of the Field Museum are to be 
commended for their dedication to stewardship, rigorous research, and 
the creative educational ways they reach out to the community to feed 
people's curiosity and wonder for the world in which we live. Just as 
the American Association of Museums recognized the Field Museum of 
Natural History with accreditation, today I also want to celebrate and 
congratulate those responsible for the amazing work that transpires 
within and outside its halls.

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