[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9297]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 29, 2014

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 50th 
Anniversary of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, which 
will be celebrated with a series of public programs and exhibits.
  Originally founded in the former Capitol Hill townhouse of Frederick 
Douglass, the museum was first opened by my friend Warren Robbins on 
June 3, 1964.
  Over the ensuing decades, the museum has come to take a greater role 
in furthering cultural development in our Nation's capital. In 1979, it 
joined the Smithsonian Institution, and it relocated to its current 
location on the National Mall in 1987.
  As the only national museum in the United States dedicated to the 
arts of Africa, it plays an important role in elevating the knowledge 
and understanding of visitors and academics alike. As a repository of 
stirring and thought-provoking artifacts, and a place for evocative 
performances and dialogues, it serves as a source of inspiration so 
many of our artists--luminaries like the late Maya Angelou who was a 
tireless advocate for the museum.
  This museum has come a long way over the past 50 years, to play an 
important role in the Smithsonian Institution, in the Washington, D.C. 
community, and in the cultural life of our Nation and the world.
  I congratulate them on a wonderful 50 years, and I wish them another 
flourishing 50 more.

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