Curator of the United States Senate
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
| This article is part of a series on the |
| United States Senate |
|---|
 |
| History of the United States Senate |
| Members |
|
|
| Politics and procedure |
| Places |
The curator of the United States Senate is responsible for the care of the Senate collection of art and artifacts. The current curatress of the Senate is Melinda K. Smith.
Purpose
[edit]On behalf of the U.S. Senate Commission on Art, the Office of the Senate Curator develops and implements the museum and preservation programs for the U.S. Senate. The Office collects, preserves, and interprets the Senate's fine and decorative art, historical artifacts and images, and architectural features within the Senate wing of the United States Capitol and Senate Office Buildings.
Through exhibits, publications, and other programs, the Office educates the public about the Senate and its collections. The Office of Senate Curator is also responsible for the supervision and care of the Old Senate Chamber and the Old Supreme Court Chamber.
The Office has established environmentally controlled museum quality storage spaces; overseen foreign gifts received by senators as part of their diplomatic duties; and reinterpreted the paint colors, drapery, and chair upholstery of the historic chambers.
In 1968, Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, in conjunction with Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen, established a Commission on Art and Antiquities (now the Senate Commission on Art), with the secretary of the Senate serving as its executive secretary, and created the position of Senate Curator.
List of Senate curators
[edit]- Joseph Dougherty 1968–1969
- Richard A. Baker (acting) 1969–1970
- James R. Ketchum 1970–1995
- Diane K. Skvarla 1995–2014
- Melinda K. Smith 2014–present
External links
[edit]- Office of Senate Curator website
- U.S. Senate collection of Decorative Art
- U.S. Senate collection of Fine Art
- U.S. Senate collection of Historical Images
- U.S. Senate collection of Historcial Artifacts
- C-SPAN Q&A interview with Diane Skvarla, July 2, 2006
This article incorporates public domain material from The Office of Senate Curator. U.S. Senate.
 | This United States Congress–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |