Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that The MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, should be recognized for its contribution to the arts around the world, and the cultural heritage of the United States.

Whereas for over 100 years, The MacDowell Colony has offered creative individuals an inspiring environment in which to produce enduring works of the imagination;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony was founded in 1907 by Edward MacDowell, a composer and founder of the music department at Columbia University, and Marian MacDowell, a pianist and member of the music fraternities Sigma Alpha Iota, Delta Omicron, Phi Beta, and Alpha Chi Omega;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony is located on 450 acres and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony archives reside at the Library of Congress and the story of how it became the first program of its kind in the Nation is told through an online exhibition;

Whereas in 1997, The MacDowell Colony was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President William Jefferson Clinton;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony has helped artists thrive in a collaborative environment;

Whereas over 6,000 artists have worked there, including Milton Avery, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Willa Cather, Aaron Copland, Mary Higgins Clark, Jonathan Franzen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Oscar Hijuelos, Galway Kinnell, Suzan-Lori Parks, Alice Walker, Wendy Wasserstein, Thornton Wilder, and many other talented artists;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony was where playwright Thornton Wilder wrote the great American classic Our Town;

Whereas the Edward MacDowell Medal is a national award presented each summer at The MacDowell Colony in Peterborough to a creative artist in the United States whose body of work has made an outstanding contribution to the national culture;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony has given back to New Hampshire through such public programming as “MacDowell Downtown”, which features monthly performances in downtown Peterborough, and “MacDowell in the Schools”, which offers arts education to local classrooms;

Whereas The MacDowell Colony holds an annual National Benefit to celebrate and honor those who have contributed to the arts;

Whereas Fellows of The MacDowell Colony have been recognized for their prestigious work with Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur “Genius” awards, EMMYs, Oscars®, and Sundance awards, GRAMMY Awards, Tonys, and Obie awards, and have been named as U.S. Poets Laureates; and

Whereas The MacDowell Colony is an important artistic community that has been essential to the cultural heritage of the United States: Now, therefore, be it