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Capitol Preservation Continues: New Art Committee Created

After an extensive $300 million restoration, the Minnesota State Capitol will continue to be preserved and maintained thanks to lawmakers and the administration inserting new policy language into the bonding bill that usually deals with dollar amounts for state construction projects.  The law expands and extends the life of the Capitol Preservation Commission, along with creating a new Capitol Art Exhibit Advisory Committee to help avoid controversy over art that erupted during the restoration.

"It's nonpartisan, it's bipartisan. That's how it all came together" says Rep. Dean Urdahl, Republican Chair of the Capital Investment Committee who worked with Democrat Gov. Mark Dayton's administration to continue the trend of bucking the tide of divisive politics to work together for Minnesota's most important building. According to the Department of Administration's Curt Yoakim, "In my 20 years in government, I can't think of a better example of how something worked." Now members of the political minority caucuses will have the power of appointment to the Commission as well as majority leaders.

After years of engaging the public about how art should be presented in the more than century-old structure, the previous art committee concluded that a more balanced representation of art should come into the Capitol. The new law says the art should reflect "contributions of arts of various demographic backgrounds, including age, disability, gender and racial and ethnic identity." Two large historic paintings were removed from the prominent place of the Governor's Reception Room and relocated to the Cass Gilbert Library to better interpret art deemed inaccurate and insensitive to Native communities.

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