Laura Bush has accepted honorary directorship on the Georgia O�Keeffe Museum�s Board, it was announced today. The invitation was extended to Mrs. Bush by Anne W. Marion, founder and Chairman of the Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

�Mrs. Bush is deeply committed to and interested in the flourishing educational roles that America�s museums play in our schools and in our lives. It is a true honor that she has accepted our invitation to join the Board as an honorary member,� remarked Mrs. Marion. �She has a keen interest in O�Keeffe�s work and life, and a deep appreciation of this artist�s significant contributions to American Modernism, as well as to northern New Mexico.�

The White House�s permanent collection includes O�Keeffe�s Bear Lake, New Mexico, painted in 1930, which depicts an area north of Taos on Taos Pueblo land. Another work by O�Keeffe is on extended loan from the Museum to The White House for the Bushes� private quarters.

Mrs. Bush recently toured the Georgia O�Keeffe Museum, when the President visited Santa Fe in May 2003. �As an avid museum goer, Mrs. Bush is acutely aware of the impact that art museums can have on their visitors,� said Museum Director George G. King. �We are extremely pleased that she will participate, when her schedule permits, at the governance level of the Museum�s affairs.�

Among her national initiatives are the Ready to Read, Ready to Learn program that stresses that parents and caregivers should expose children to books and reading long before they start school; teacher recruitment; and The National Book Festival. This year will be the third annual National Book Festival that will take place October 4th and will feature authors, illustrators and storytellers from across the nation. In her speeches and public appearances, she expresses what many Americans believe: that every human being should be treated with dignity, and that no child should be left behind in school, or in life.

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The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which opened July 17, 1997, is dedicated to perpetuating the artistic legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe and to the study and interpretation of American Modernism (1890-present). The 13,000-square-foot Museum houses a permanent collection of 182 works, 132 are by O'Keeffe. From July through October, the Museum is open seven days per week. November through June, it is closed on Wednesday. Museum hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., except for Friday, when hours are 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, free for children 17 and under and students with i.d. Fridays, free 5-8 p.m. $4 for New Mexico residents with i.d. $7 for senior citizens 60 and over. For visitor information, call 505.946.1017.

PRESS CONTACT: Linda Milanesi 505.946.1050 lindam@okeeffemuseum.org www.okeeffemuseum.org