Washington, DC (Thursday, June 12, 2008) – Today, Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) announced that 73 schools in the 15th Congressional District have won a Picturing America award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Picturing America is a free initiative that helps teach American history and culture by bringing some of the country’s finest art directly to classrooms and libraries.  Click here for a full listing of winning institutions in the Texas’s 15th District.

“I want to congratulate the winners on this wonderful honor and I hope this award will spur a greater love for American history and culture in our classrooms,” said Hinojosa. “This program provides our students a unique gateway to better understanding our nation’s fascinating past. By bringing great art into schools, libraries and communities like ours, Picturing America gives South Texans of all ages the chance to learn about our history in a fresh and engaging way.”

Every winning school will receive 40 large, high-quality reproductions of great American masterpieces and an in-depth teachers resource book to provide educators with a wide range of ideas for incorporating art into core subjects. Delivery of these materials is scheduled for August 2008 right in time for the new school year.

The NEH will offer Picturing America to more schools and libraries through a future enrollment opportunity beginning in August 2008.  All eligible schools and public libraries in the U.S. who have not previously received Picturing America may apply for the program from August 4 through October 31, 2008 at PicturingAmerica.neh.gov.

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