TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART AND TO CONGRATULATE THE MUSEUM'S ADMINISTRATORS AND STAFF UPON BEING NAMED A RECIPIENT OF THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES' NATIONAL MEDAL FOR MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICE.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate were delighted to learn that the State's Columbia Museum of Art was honored with the prestigious National Medal for Museum and Library Service; and

Whereas, the Columbia Museum of Art was one of ten recipients this year of the nation's highest honor awarded to museums for service to their communities by the Institute of Museum and Library Services from among thirty finalists nationwide, fifteen museums and fifteen libraries; and

Whereas, in 1949, the South Carolina General Assembly established the Columbia Museum of Art to further the cultural life of the City of Columbia, Richland County, and the State of South Carolina through its collection and preservation of works of art and providing for their public display, examination, and use; and

Whereas, the cultural anchor of our capital city's downtown and a catalyst in the revitalization of our state's economy and cultural life, the museum's art collection spans five thousand years and represents a diverse range of cultures, a collection shared with other museums throughout the nation and around the world; and

Whereas, special exhibitions at the Columbia Museum of Art, located in the heart of Columbia, bring in eminent loans from museums as well as public and private lenders nationally and internationally; and

Whereas, a 2016 recipient of the South Carolina Governor's Award for the Arts: Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Award, the museum ranks among the leading art institutions in the Southeast and has received numerous awards for its dedication to arts education and unique programs for children, adults, and seniors; and

Whereas, through more than six hundred art programs specifically for youth at the museum each year, the museum provides some twenty-five thousand early childhood and K-12 students help for understanding core subjects such as math, history, science, and English within the context of the visual arts; and

Whereas, the museum provides more than two hundred educational programs annually for approximately ten thousand adults and provides cultural opportunities for seniors, including gallery talks, music programs, lectures, and classes; and

Whereas, a major contributor to tourism in the State, the museum welcomes visitors from all forty-six counties, all fifty states and territories, and six continents; and

Whereas, the Senate of the State of South Carolina appreciates the vigorous attention to the culture of our State that the Columbia Museum of Art has provided for more than six and a half decades, and the members congratulate the museum's outstanding work and momentous recognition as a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize and commend the Columbia Museum of Art and congratulate the museum's administrators and staff upon being named a recipient of the Institute of Museum and Library Services' National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the Columbia Museum of Art.