[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4751-4752]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING CLEVELAND, OHIO

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, my home of Cleveland, OH, is one of our 
Nation's historic great centers of industry. Our manufacturing base 
helped to build our country's infrastructure to win World War II and to 
spur our economy to new heights in the 21st century. We are not only 
home to great makers, we are home to great creators as well.
  We are the home of rock and roll--the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is 
in downtown Cleveland--great athletes and authors, people such as Jesse 
Owens and Toni Morrison, and we are home to great art. Cleveland is the 
home to world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra, Playhouse Square, Karamu 
House, the NASA-designated Great Lakes Science Center, and one of the 
largest and best art museums not just in the United States but in the 
world, the Cleveland Museum of Art.
  In the early 1900s, Midwest cities saw a cultural explosion. Cities 
were prospering. Government and business leaders alike sought to 
harness that new wealth to build livable, world-class cities. Museums 
were established across the Midwest. That is why cities such
as Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland--cities that may 
not have been the Nation's largest, especially when you look at Dayton, 
Youngstown, and Toledo, but cities that were prosperous--created great 
products, created great wealth, and made huge contributions to start 
these cultural centers.
  Ohio is one of the leading States in the Nation as far as locations 
of good art museums in pretty much all of our major cities. Art museums 
were status symbols. In many ways, they were the sports arenas of the 
early 20th century.
  It was in this climate that the Cleveland Museum of Art was 
established 99 years ago, opening in June 1916. We mark, last year and 
the next couple of years, the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland City 
Club and the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Orchestra also. So much 
happened in that decade in Cleveland, OH, and cities like it across the 
country.
  The original marble neoclassic building was an instant icon, a signal 
to the world that Cleveland would take its place as a world-class city 
and a center for the arts. And 100 years later, the Cleveland Museum of 
Art is thriving. It has a permanent collection that is

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world-renowned and possesses a deep commitment to the local community.
  Under the leadership of Director William Griswold and Steven Kestner, 
chair of the board of trustees, the museum is expanding in every 
direction, working to engage the community and using new technology to 
educate visitors. I had the privilege of visiting the art museum just 
in the last week or so, talking with Dr. Griswold, and looking at the 
new Africa exhibit that is on tour that has been collected for 
Cleveland, and I got a chance to see a good bit of this beautiful 
museum. I have been many times. Each time I go, I come away with an 
even greater appreciation for the institution, the art, the curators, 
the collectors, and the people who work there. Dr. Griswold shared with 
me that day he was appointed as director, he was with some European 
friends who told him the Cleveland Museum of Art was their favorite art 
museum in the entire world.
  The museum recently completed a $350 million expansion and renovation 
that will better integrate the museum with the surrounding community. 
It has transformed the museum's spaces and has prepared this 
institution to inspire and educate Ohioans for the next 100 years. It 
beckons young people and students--many low-income students in the 
immediate area, within a few square miles around the museum--to come 
visit and learn about our cultural heritage and look to the future.
  When I met with Dr. Griswold--let me back up for a moment. This 
capital improvement was the largest capital improvement of any museum 
in Ohio history and supported some 1,100 local jobs. The project 
injected more than $360 million directly into our State's economy. The 
impact will be felt for years to come.
  As it approaches its centennial celebration next year, the Cleveland 
Museum of Art will continue to attract visitors from Cuyahoga County, 
from northeast Ohio, and from around the world. In 2013, 600,000 people 
visited that museum. More than one-third of them were from outside of 
Ohio. More than half a million visitors were responsible for $80 
million in consumer spending in the city.
  The museum's first director, Frederick Allen Whiting, believed the 
museum should serve not as an ivory tower but as an educational 
institution engaged in the community. He wanted to bring art to people, 
not just people into the museum.
  The museum established its first education department. In 1919, they 
held the first annual exhibition of Cleveland artists and craftsmen. It 
became known as the May Show and showcased local artists for the next 
73 years. Dr. Griswold continues that tradition of community 
engagement.
  When I met with him, he told me that leaders of cultural institutions 
have a responsibility to participate in my city's transformation. He is 
committed and the museum's staff is committed to making our city a 
better place. They have elevated the museum's education and 
interpretation department and are committed to the value of 
interpretive excellence. Education in the museum is aimed at a general 
audience, not just art buffs and historians.
  Parenthetically, my sister-in-law teaches in the art history 
department at Case Western Reserve University. Catherine talks to me 
about how integrated Case is in the art history department with that 
museum. It is a classroom for students. It is a classroom for the whole 
community beyond Case.
  Studies show that a high concentration of the arts in communities 
leads to higher civic engagement. Students who take art classes, play 
musical instruments, take dance lessons generally do better in school.
  Dr. Griswold and his team are in the forefront of the use of 
technology to educate and to connect visitors with the museum's 
collections. The Cleveland Art Museum is also home to the country's 
largest multitouch screen, a collection wall. This huge, interactive 
wall stands at 40 square feet and features more than 4,100 works of art 
from the museum's collection.
  To get a feel for the reach and the breadth of a museum of this 
stature in one of our Nation's great cities, the museum has 20 curators 
on staff. It recruits for these positions around the world.
  In Cleveland, we have the Cleveland Institute of Art, and we have 
great universities. However, when it comes time to look for a new 
curator, the Cleveland Art Museum looks worldwide.
  The museum's collection includes 45,000 objects and spans nearly 
6,000 years of history. This February, the museum's ``Senufo: Art and 
Identity in West Africa'' special exhibit opened after 5 years of work 
by curators. It features 170 objects from more than 60 collections 
around the world.
  We know that strong communities require strong cultural institutions. 
From the Cleveland Institute of Music, to the Fine Arts Garden, to the 
Botanical Garden, to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland continues 
to cultivate the vibrant arts community that enriches our city and 
enriches our State.
  Thanks to the art museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Dr. 
Griswold, who is relatively still new on the job, for their 
contributions to our community.

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