Recognizing the Toledo Museum of Art's 125th Anniversary
Floor Speech
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of The Toledo Museum of Art as we in Ohio's 9th Congressional District commemorate its 125th anniversary of serving our community and the many visitors from across the globe that visit the museum each year.
Located in Toledo's Old West End, our art museum was founded in 1901 by benefactor Edward Drummond Libbey. Libbey is often considered the father of the glass industry here in Toledo, having opened the Libbey Glass Company, paving the way for Toledo's ``Glass City'' moniker, which we still hold today. His generous endowment continues to fund art purchases and operations, contributing to his wish that our museum be a global leader in the museum field.
The endowment is currently helping to fund a large reinstallation project, adding new galleries and renovating existing ones. It is a lens through which I think we can all view the evolution of our country. By both preserving the history of what has been and reimagining what is to come, our Toledo Museum of Art remembers what is important and seeks to better itself for the generations to come.
Our museum also invites its visitors to view life differently through art as they strive to integrate art into people's everyday lives. This mission has led to a USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice award of Best Art Museum in the USA, furthermore cementing our museum as one of the best in the world. Its 37-acre campus is home to more than 30,000 works of art, from famed impressionist Vincent van Gogh and passionate Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens to American artists Andy Warhol and Thomas Cole. In its dedication to the people of Northwest Ohio, our museum also showcases local artists and has an expansive exhibit on Toledo's glass industry.
What a tremendous milestone for our city and The Toledo Museum of Art to reach in the same year that our Nation celebrates her 250th anniversary. Institutions like The Toledo Museum of Art play such a pivotal role in the development and culture of the United States of America. Art museums allow us to preserve our own history while also giving us glimpses into the lives of others and an opportunity to dream of our future.
On this concurrent occasion of the museum's 125th anniversary and our Nation's 250th anniversary, let us remember Mr. Libbey's words during the museum's dedication--that it be a ``memory of the past,'' an ``understanding of the . . . present,'' and a means of ``increasing understanding'' for the future.
That wish has certainly taken hold with the hard work of its leadership team and the evergreen support of our Northwest Ohio community. I commend this remarkable achievement and look forward to the future of one of our region's and Nation's finest cultural institutions.
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