Press Releases & Statements

AAMD statement on the death of Representative Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY)

New York, NY
March 19, 2018

The members of Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) mourn the loss of Representative Louise M. Slaughter. For more than thirty years, Ms. Slaughter was a preeminent leader in the fight to ensure Federal funding for the arts and culture in the United States, and was a tireless champion of museums, about which she spoke movingly and often.

Speaking from the floor of the House in 2006, in support of House Resolution 389,* to celebrate the Year of the Museum, Ms. Slaughter said:

I'm sure there is not a person among us who does not have a cherished memory of a visit to a museum. Museums are unique places in our communities. They come in every variety and size. Their collections and the ideas they share cover the broad spectrum of human endeavors—science, history, nature and art. There is a museum to satisfy and peak the interests of everyone of us.

Museums are public forums. They provide an environment rich with opportunity for intergenerational learning and sharing among children, parents, and grandparents. Museum visitors can come to know the struggles and accomplishments of different cultures and achieve a deeper understanding of their own family's, community's and country's history. But most importantly, museums are fun places to visit.

We send our condolences to Ms. Slaughter’s family, and to her many friends and colleagues.

 

*See Congressional Record--House, February 8, 2006, Page H170

Contact

Christine Anagnos / Alison Wade
Association of Art Museum Directors
212-754-8084

Sascha Freudenheim
PAVE Communications and Consulting
917-544-6057