First Lady Michelle Obama Speaks at the Dedication of the new Whitney Museum of American Art

This morning the ribbon was cut on the Whitney Museum of American Art’s spectacular new home: the 220,000-square-foot, Renzo Piano–designed stunner now turning heads at the base of Manhattan’s High Line Park. (The building opens to the public tomorrow.) Sharing the spotlight with the structure was none other than FLOTUS herself. To steal a line from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also delivered remarks, “You know something important is happening when First Lady Michelle Obama is there.”

In her speech, Mrs. Obama praised not only Piano’s design—“I fell in love with the building”—but also the museum’s enduring mission to serve both the creative community and the greater public, in particular youth. “One visit, one performance, one touch, and who knows how you could spark a child’s imagination,” she said. “That is the power of institutions like the Whitney when they open their doors as wide as possible, both to the artists they embrace and to the young people they seek to uplift. That’s what happens. And today, I am so proud to be here as we open these doors.”

Her attendance brought to mind another milestone in the museum’s history: the 1966 dedication of the Whitney’s uptown Breuer building, an event graced by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Two great women. Two great buildings. Two great moments. Though perhaps the mood this morning was best summed up by Piano during his remarks. “Mamma mia!” he exclaimed. “What a joy.”