It’s a pleasure to join all of you here in Chicago, a city that has made rich contributions to American history and American art.

 

 

(History Channel video plays on the monitor)

 

(Video ends)

 

That’s not an easy act to follow! We’re grateful to the History Channel for helping us see Picturing America at work.

 

Picturing America is the newest element of the NEH’s We the People program, which strengthens the teaching and understanding of American history and culture. Picturing America uses great American art to ensure that our common heritage and ideals are known, studied, and remembered. And by putting art back in schools, it gives millions of students and families the chance to experience every day the power of great art in their lives.

 

As you heard from several of the teachers in the video, a written record or a textbook tells you one thing — but a painting, sculpture, or building reveals something else entirely. Our students and citizens deserve to see American art that reveals where we have come from … what we have endured … and where we are headed.

 

With this in mind, the NEH has chosen notable American works of art that will help citizens of all ages connect to the people, places, and ideas that have shaped our country.

 

(Images appear on monitor)

 

Picturing America is a diverse selection of American masterpieces. Several of the works have strong connections to this city and state. For example, we have:

• Alexander Gardner’s photograph of Illinois’ most famous son, Abraham Lincoln. It was taken just weeks before his assassination, and it shows the toll the Civil War took on our 16th President.

We also have:

• Fallingwater — the most renowned work of the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who launched his career in Chicago.

 

Through Picturing America, the NEH is distributing forty large, high-quality reproductions of these masterpieces to tens of thousands of schools and public libraries — including public, private, parochial, and charter schools, and home school associations.

 

Included with the reproductions is an in-depth Teachers Resource Book, which helps educators use the images to teach history, literature, civics, and other subjects.

 

(Screen shot of the Picturing America website appears on monitor)

 

The Endowment has also created a dynamic website for citizens of all ages, located at PicturingAmerica.NEH.gov.

 

The scope of this program is unprecedented for the NEH — and the enthusiasm it has generated among educators and students is amazing. This spring, during our first three-month application period, nearly one-fifth of all U.S. schools and public libraries applied for Picturing America awards. Today I𔃅m thrilled to announce that this fall the NEH will make 26,320 Picturing America awards to schools and public libraries nationwide.

 

But we’re not stopping there. We want this program to reach even more schools and libraries — so on August 4^th, the NEH will open a second application window, with a deadline of October 31^st, for schools and libraries who wish to receive a Picturing America set in 2009.

 

Picturing America has received strong support here in Chicago and across Illinois. Before the April 15^th application deadline, we received applications from over 1,500 schools and public libraries in Illinois.

 

Today, I’m pleased to announce that nearly 600 schools in the Chicago Public Schools system will receive Picturing America sets this fall.

 

Let me congratulate the Chicago Public Schools system and its CEO, Arne Duncan, who is with us today. Without your support and passion for this program, this outstanding result would never have been possible. You have demonstrated a real commitment to Picturing America, and I know it will be a wonderful learning resource for teachers and students in Chicago.

 

The heart of Picturing America is the images. So I’d like to conclude by looking at just a few, to see what they can tell us about America.

 

One way teachers can use the program is to show students how art conveys a common theme or principle from our history. Several of the images provide a wonderful way to study our founding principles of freedom and equality.

 

(Image of Washington Crossing the Delaware appears on monitor)

 

Here is Washington Crossing the Delaware. When we think of the American Revolution, this is one of the first images that springs to mind — which shows how powerfully a work of art can shape our historical memory.

 

The General stands resolute in the lead boat with his men, as they strain to navigate the icy Delaware River, while the American flag flies above them. This painting reminds us just how perilous and improbable the American Revolution was — and how strongly the Founders believed in the principles they were fighting for: freedom and equality.

 

Now, let’s view a memorable image from the 20^th century: a photograph of the Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights in 1965.

 

(Image of Selma-to-Montgomery March, 1965 appears on the monitor)

 

This image captures the courage and determination of the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement. Just as in the painting of Washington and his men, the American flag plays a central role. Four figures at the front of the group march briskly in unison. They are not armed — but like the soldiers crossing the Delaware, they press forward, resolved to uphold our founding principles.

 

(Split-screen of both “Freedom & Equality” images appears on the monitor)

 

These two works of art vividly remind us that freedom and equality, while never easy, are the precious birthright of all Americans — and every generation must be courageous in defending these principles.

 

(Classroom image with Chairman Cole appears on monitor)

 

Over the past few months, I’ve visited schools that received Picturing America during its pilot phase. And I’m pleased that we’re joined today by educators and students from several Chicago schools who have participated in the pilot program.

 

During these visits, I’ve been deeply moved by the enthusiasm and creativity that Picturing America sparks in our young people. By appealing to our citizens’ eyes, Picturing America will make an indelible impression on their minds and hearts. It will show them that great art can play a meaningful role in their lives. And it will inspire them to add their own chapters to America’s remarkable story.

 

Thank you all for coming today. I hope you are as excited about Picturing America as I am — and I’m grateful to everyone who is making this program a success here in Chicago and across the state of Illinois.