ST. LOUIS — If you head to the Saint Louis Art Museum, you expect to see exhibitions or hear concerts through the halls. But, you can also add a naturalization ceremony to the calendar this year.
A naturalization ceremony is the culmination of the naturalization process to recognize new American citizens formally. New citizens take an Oath of Allegiance before a USCIS official after passing an interview and citizenship test. It's often held at a federal building like a courthouse.
SLAM's naturalization ceremony came about last year, which helped welcome 38 new Americans representing 25 home countries. The idea came from Min Jung Kim who leads the Saint Louis Art Museum as the Barbara B. Taylor Director. Kim came to St. Louis in 2021 and is the first female director of the institution. She is also a naturalized citizen.
She held the first naturalized ceremony last year and says she received a "very positive" reaction from both the new citizens and federal court officials, Kim says the museum would like to make hosting a ceremony an annual SLAM tradition.
"We have a truly spectacular and global collection," said Kim. "We represent every country, every culture, every history that has perhaps existed."
The ceremony will take place on Friday, April 26, at 11 a.m. in Sculpture Hall at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The ceremony is expected to last about an hour and is open to the public.
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