[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20667]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF THE OPENING OF THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 4, 2004

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to rise today to 
commemorate the opening of New York's newest museum, located in my 
Congressional District in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The Rubin 
Museum of Art (RMA), a cultural and educational institution dedicated 
to the art of the Himalayan region, opens this week with a series of 
fascinating exhibitions and programs.
  With a collection spanning the 2nd to 19th Centuries, combining a 
variety of artistic mediums from paintings to stone sculptures and 
textiles, this museum will showcase a diverse and vast compilation of 
historical and sacred art. The inaugural exhibitions are certainly a 
testimony to the comprehensiveness of this artistic display. Each of 
the Museum's six floors and theater level gallery features a different 
exhibit, with educational wall texts and interpretive panels providing 
another dimension of thought and understanding for both the casual and 
more experienced museumgoer. The Museum is also home to a state-of-the-
art theater, a classroom, and a space for contemporary and historical 
photography.
  RMA's commitment to serving a broad and diverse audience is further 
evidenced by the wide range of programs offered. RMA has established an 
innovative Museum Campus program through which it has forged working 
relationships with the colleges and universities in downtown Manhattan. 
The Museum's educational programs bring arts education to many public 
schools and students from underserved communities. Among the future 
scheduled events are ArtTalks with the Museum's chief curator, Caron 
Smith, as well as lectures by noted art historians and professors, and 
poetry and music by contemporary artists.
  I am pleased to congratulate the Rubin Museum of Art and all those 
whose contributions and efforts made the opening of this creative and 
new enriching cultural center possible, especially the founders Donald 
and Shelley Rubin. Lifelong New Yorkers, they have been assembling what 
is now America's largest collection of Himalayan art for over 25 years. 
Their desire to give back to the City that they love benefits not only 
New York and its visitors but the world at large. I am proud to join 
the artistic community of New York in the celebration of the Rubin 
Museum of Art and its mission of establishing, preserving and 
presenting to the public a permanent collection of Himalayan art, which 
accurately reflects its vitality, complexity and historical 
significance.

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