[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO TAUBMAN MUSEUM OF ART

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2008

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, the Art Museum of Western Virginia has 
been transformed. Formerly located in Center in the Square in Roanoke, 
Virginia, the museum has undergone a multimillion dollar makeover under 
the guidance of renowned architect Randall Stout and has been reborn as 
the Taubman Museum of Art.
  Created in 1951 as the Roanoke Fine Arts Center, and then fully 
accredited for the first time in 1977, it became the Roanoke Museum of 
Fine Arts in 1980. Following its relocation from South Roanoke to the 
downtown multicultural structure called Center in the Square, it became 
the Art Museum of Western Virginia in 1992, testament to the regional 
nature of its mission. But change beckoned the museum as it sat on the 
cusp of the 21st century, due both to outgrowing its space and an 
expansion in its collection.
  A vision developed for the new Art Museum of Western Virginia. Museum 
officials and community supporters determined that instead of 
renovating an existing structure in downtown Roanoke for the new 
facility, a state-of-the-art structure was in order. That vision was 
developed not only to help bring attention to the museum itself but to 
help speak to the region's steady movement toward becoming a player in 
our technology-driven economy.
  Thanks to the city of Roanoke, an undeveloped site near one of the 
city's busiest intersections was donated to house the museum, and the 
city contributed $4 million for the project. Once Randall Stout was 
hired to develop an image of the museum at that site, it became clear 
that his growing stature in architectural circles would result in the 
transformative structure that many had hoped for. The plan was to help 
put Roanoke on the map with a building that would attract visitors not 
only from around the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States but 
from around the world. On September 10, I was honored to be a 
participant in breaking ground for the new museum.
  After just over 3 years of construction, Roanoke's new art museum 
opened to the public on Saturday, November 8. And I was fortunate to 
again be present to help cut the ribbon on a building that is difficult 
to put into words. But once you see the Taubman Museum of Art, you 
learn to understand that Randall Stout captured the mountains, valleys, 
rivers, and seasons in rock, steel, and glass.
  The new museum in Roanoke is named for Nick and Jenny Taubman, a 
family name well known to Roanokers. Nick is the former leader of 
Advance Auto Parts and presently serves as the United States Ambassador 
to Romania. His wife, Jenny, chaired the museum's capital campaign. And 
their pledge of $15.25 million was the largest donation received toward 
the museum. The facility also benefits greatly from the Horace G. 
Fralin Charitable Trust, which has contributed financially and 
formatively. Under the leadership of Heywood Fralin, the Fralin Trust 
has contributed works by American artists that now make the Taubman 
Museum a home for some of the greatest our Nation has known--Winslow 
Homer, Norman Rockwell, and John Singer Sargent to name just a few.
  Under the able direction of Georgeanne Bingham, the Taubman Museum is 
not only a structure housing works of art, it is becoming a true 
destination. The museum also houses Art Venture, geared toward bringing 
men, women and children together in a gallery that will permit hands-on 
opportunities to create their own art. A special new media gallery is 
courtesy of the great leaders and minds at Virginia Tech, a longtime 
supporter of the new museum and an integral part of the institution's 
plans for educational outreach in the arts. The museum even features 
Hokie Stone, once specific only to the buildings on Tech's campus in 
Blacksburg.
  While breaking ground for the Taubman Museum, I said that it was a 
key to the new frontiers that must be crossed in the Roanoke Valley 
region of Virginia in order to keep it competitive in the 21st century. 
Now that the structure is complete, I remain convinced that the 
facility is the latest successful effort that is opening eyes to the 
vast array of possibilities that are within our reach in western 
Virginia. I agree with my friend Heywood Fralin that the museum is 
without a doubt, the most significant new structure in Virginia.
  I extend congratulations to Georgeanne Bingham, Nick and Jenny 
Taubman, Heywood Fralin, Randall Stout, and countless others who toiled 
for the past 3 years to help the Taubman Museum rise to the cusp of 
opening. The expectations were great, but I am sure that everyone who 
sets foot in the museum will be deeply impressed by what it has to 
offer to a broad range of art enthusiasts.
  The collections inside will speak well. Visitors will get to see old 
favorites, develop an appreciation for new acquisitions, and experience 
art in a technologically advanced way. And the building itself--the 
structure as seen from the exterior and what envelops inside--carries 
with it special significance. It has automatically become a landmark--
and in a setting in downtown Roanoke, it is good company. When given 
the opportunity to move from ground level and into the museum's 
interior and then move around it's exterior, one understands that it is 
surrounded by the landmarks that speak both to the region's past and 
point the way to its future--from the ancient Blue Ridge and Alleghany 
Mountains and valleys, to the star atop Mill Mountain, to the railroad 
tracks that first brought commerce to the region, to the historic 
buildings that served in previous centuries and have now been reborn 
for modern times. The Taubman Museum will join so many other efforts 
leading the way for the region, its citizens, and visitors through the 
frontiers yet to come.
  I am delighted that the Taubman Museum has been erected in the Sixth 
District of Virginia. I encourage our Nation to embrace the structure 
and its contents and to come to Roanoke to enjoy this grand cultural 
attraction for many, many years to come.

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