For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
July 10, 2002

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at National Design Awards
As Delivered
The East Room

Thank you very much, Paul (Warwick, Director, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum).

This has been a remarkable week for the Cooper-Hewitt museum, with the new discovery of an old master's work - Michelangelo's candelabrum drawing. Congratulations.

Welcome to the White House. Tonight we recognize the 2001 and 2002 National Design Award winners and finalists - a group of remarkably talented men and women who are among America's finest designers and patrons of design.

This house is a great backdrop for this event. The White House is widely recognized by its mere silhouette, and it is a great example of 200 years of design work-in-progress.

Certainly one of the nicest parts of living here is the chance to use and admire the many pieces of American design, these beautiful furnishings.

You might have noticed the scaffolding on the north side of the East Wing, which is being repainted. The last time they stripped the paint off the north-east side they found scorch marks made by British troops when they set the place on fire during the War of 1812.

Dolly Madison fled the burning White House with that portrait of George Washington. She did save one other portrait -- her own.

This is the room where Abigail and John Adams' laundry was hung out to dry. The windows didn't have any glass back then, so the hot air blowing through the White House was the real thing.

There used to be an indoor swimming pool between the Residence and the West Wing. It is covered up now, and filled with wires. The National Press Corps sits on top of it. There's a trap door in the floor.

Thanks to the dedicated work of design experts, we have landmarks like this one.places that are so well loved, lived-in, and preserved that many generations are able to experience its stories and offerings.

Design, in all its disciplines, is the world's greatest facilitator -- it allows us to enjoy life and all of its pursuits.

I have many assignments as First Lady, but serving as Honorary Patron of the 2002 National Design Awards is among the most fun.and inspirational.

Thanks to the Smithsonian Institute, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum for recognizing these incredible professionals and for recognizing the importance of education in your continuing program.

Congratulations to the award winners and finalists -- and to each one of you for contributing in such a beautiful way to the world we live in. America values and appreciates your accomplishments.

Thank you.

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