Tag Archives: el paso museum of history

‘Tracks Across the Desert: More Than 100 Years of Railroad in El Paso,’ rolls into the El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) starting next week.

The museum’s first exhibition of the year, opening Thursday, January 23rd, will explore the role the railroad played in shaping El Paso’s economy, technology, and society as it transformed the United States.

“El Paso gets its name because of how it has historically been a pass between the two mountains,” said EPMH Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov.

“Much of El Paso’s identity comes from our being an intersection of different people, cultures, and ideas. When the railroad boom started, El Paso became an even more important nexus for the United States.”

In addition to displaying local historical artifacts, the exhibit will feature an model train set, a children’s depot play-area with trains, and a flipbook album highlighting historic photographs.

The exhibit is free and open to the public, and supported by Union Pacific..

The EPMH is free of charge and open Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call the museum at (915) 212-0320 or visit the museum’s website.

The El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) will host the first session of its Forum on Global Ideas, a new programming initiative focused on bringing international perspectives to the El Paso area.

The first forum is set for on October 24 at 5:30 p.m.

“El Paso is an international city but the issues discussed here tend to focus on the region’s border identity and the controversies surrounding immigration,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov.

“With the EPMH Forum on Global Ideas, I wanted to draw El Pasoans into international dialogues and to explore the ways in which what is happening globally resonates with issues happening here.”

The inaugural event will be a lecture by Thomas Hanson titled “Crisis of Democracy: Nationalism, Populism, and Identity Politics.” Hanson is a retired U.S. Diplomat, current Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and serves as Chair of the Minnesota Chapter of the Committee on Foreign Relations.

The forum is presented with the generous support of Texas Gas Service and in collaboration with the Sam Donaldson Institute, the University of Texas at El Paso Department of Communication, and the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce.

The series will continue in the coming years with biannual events. Sessions will include traditional lectures, focused workshops, diverse panels, and working conferences.

The event is free, but registration is required as space is limited. Register by emailing your name and number of guests to RSVP.EPMH@elpasotexas.gov.

The El Paso Museum of History invites the public to view the newest exhibition Powerhouse of the Southwest: 120 Years of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce.

“At EPMH, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce is literally our neighbor—they’re just across the street from us,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov. “For El Paso as a whole, they are a metaphoric neighbor, providing support and leadership to help the city grow. The Chamber has guided El Paso from its days as a frontier town to the thriving borderplex it is today.”

The exhibit is part of the museum’s exhibition series Wall of Giants, a multi-year project that has highlighted influential organizations within the El Paso region.

Powerhouse focuses on the history and major milestones of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, including its founding in the late 1800s and the Chamber’s role in establishing the Star on the Mountain.

The exhibit also draws attention to the Chamber’s role in local and national history such as the meeting between American President William Howard Taft and Mexican President Porfirio Diaz in 1909 that took place at the Chamber.

The exhibit features Chamber members and businesses who have had a lasting impact on the El Paso community.

“We are so excited for this exhibit to celebrate the business community here,” said El Paso Chamber of Commerce President David Jerome. “These past years have been such an exciting time for business in El Paso, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow the Chamber’s legacy in the years to come.”

Powerhouse of the Southwest: 120 Years of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce runs through March 22, 2020.

At a time when Americans are more polarized than ever, especially on the issue of immigration, national and local organizations have partnered together to help bridge the divide. Looking for America seeks to bring people together across a multitude of political opinions to answer the question, “What does it mean to be American?”

The invite-only dinner and dialogue is part of a larger exhibit — on display and open to the public at the El Paso Museum of History starting in October 2019 — featuring local artists who represent different backgrounds, countries of origin, political viewpoints, and art practices.

A dinner that features cross-political civil discourse will take place on Monday, October 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the El Paso Museum of History.

Approximately 50-75 participants, including local leaders and community members with different political identities, will attend the event, viewing and interacting with curated art exhibitions from local artists, all centered around the question, “What does it mean to be American in El Paso?”

Participants will share their reactions to the art and their perspectives and stories over a shared meal.

Along with the El Paso Museum of History, partners include the El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, New American Economy, the American University School of Public Affairs, CuriosityConnects.us, and the Tenement Museum.

“History, as a discipline, is about finding the common ground between different perspectives. As a historian, you want a variety of voices so that you can better understand what really happened in the past,” said Vladimir von Tsurikov, Director of the El Paso Museum of History. “Looking for America takes this same approach in order to resolve divisions in the present and create a way forward for the future. We are excited to host this project at the Museum and look forward to the ways in which it can further encourage civic discourse in El Paso.”

“When you really think about it, the creativity we see in art is an exploration,” said David Jerome, Chair of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. “This aspect of Art sets an excellent example for all discourse.”

“We are proud to host Looking For America in El Paso as it’s a city that represents some of America’s most cherished values, like endurance, hard work, ingenuity, and perseverance,” said Dan Wallace, Director of Special Projects at New American Economy. “El Paso’s unique status as a border city makes it is an ideal setting to explore thoughts around American identity and immigration whose perspective resonates with cities near and far from the southern border.”

“Art can help us to process complicated ideas and emotions,” said Philippa P.B. Hughes of CuriosityConnects.us. “Sometimes people find it easier to identify with something that expresses how they feel, rather than what they think. In this way, art can lead to greater empathy between people who may not necessarily see eye to eye.”

“The School of Public Affairs at American University is committed to civil discourse as a crucial aspect of our democracy, and faculty members are committed to sharing these skills on and beyond campus, especially in this time of hyper-partisan divide,” said Vicky Wilkins, Dean, School of Public Affairs at American University.

“We also look forward to listening to and learning from community members in El Paso — and bringing those important learnings back to Washington, D.C.”

Who:  The event will feature remarks by:

• Vladimir von Tsurikov, Director, El Paso Museum of History

• Vicky Wilkins, Dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University

• Dan Wallace, Director of Special Projects, New American Economy

• Philippa Hughes, Founder & Chief Creative Strategist, CuriosityConnects.us

Beginning Thursday, October 3rd, the Museum of History will host the traveling exhibition, Faces and Places of the Chihuahuan Desert.

The exhibit is composed of 31 photographs taken by University of Texas at El Paso professor Dr. Robert H. Schmidt, who has a background in natural resources and physical geography.

“For the last three decades, he has tracked changes in the Chihuahuan Desert,” museum officials shared via a news release. “The exhibit presents, in visual form, an interpretation of scientific information about the region.”

Organized by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the exhibit explores the topography and natural beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert and considers the human impact upon it over a period of thirty years.

Covering more than 140,000 square miles, the Chihuahuan Desert is considered the largest in North America.

Additionally, visitors can learn more by taking part in the “Faces & Places of the Chihuahuan Desert: A Humanities Texas Lecture Series.” Various experts from different disciplines will hold lectures once a month at 6 p.m. from October through June 2020.

Topics range from environmental history to personal documentaries. The first lecture is scheduled for October 10 at the Museum of History.

The exhibition, along with the lectures, are free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on display through June 2020. To learn more about the El Paso Museum of History, visit the museum’s website.

Humanities Texas develops and supports diverse programs across the state, including lectures, oral history projects, teacher institutes, museum exhibitions and documentary films. For more information, please visit Humanities Texas online or call (512) 440-1991.

The El Paso Museum of History will hold an opening reception of its newest exhibit Gifts and Prayers: The Romanovs and Their Subjects at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, at the museum.

“The mission of the El Paso Museum of History is to be an educational resource for the community,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov.

“With that in mind, we want to bring a wide variety of content to the space so El Pasoans can explore how the story of El Paso resonates with or differs from other geographically-distant parts of the world. Bringing Gifts and Prayers to the museum is an opportunity to experience a culture halfway around the globe and to situate El Paso within a global community.”

The free event will feature live music, food, and a variety of guest speakers.

Appearing for the first time in the American Southwest, Gifts and Prayers displays a collection of objects from the Georgia Museum of Art (Athens, Georgia) including rare historical artifacts and sacred art from across centuries of the imperial family’s rule (CE 1613-1917).

Diamond-encrusted swords, intricate military medals, gilded statuettes, ornate icons, and Fabergé-produced objects will adorn the museum, engaging the public in the lavish splendor of the Romanov era. Assembled by a single private collector, the collection has been virtually unknown for decades and has rarely been seen.

Residents interested in attending the free opening reception can RSVP by emailing the El Paso Museum of History at RSVP.EPMH@elpasotexas.gov or calling (915) 212-3161.

The free exhibit runs through March 2020.

On Tuesday, El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) officials said they are now accepting submissions from the public for the Pasos Urbanos: A Photographic Narrative of the Borderlands, a juried photography exhibit set to open at the museum later this year.

“There are always so many things happening Downtown—live music, murals, festivals, new businesses, and of course just the excitement everyday life,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov. “As the City’s Museum of History, we wanted to make sure we are honoring all of the different people and experiences that make up the Downtown/Borderland identity.”

Artists, photographers and anyone from either side of the border are encouraged to submit material that captures “the vibrant culture and new developments that make downtown El Paso an exciting and dynamic space.”

“The binational component is meant to strengthen the relationship between the El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, celebrating a shared past, present, and future,” EPMH officials added via a news release

A complete description of the Pasos Urbanos contest, including information and an application to submit, is posted online.

A maximum of five photographs can submitted by October 1. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and must currently reside within 150 miles of downtown El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.

Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

The Museum of History has partnered with organizations and businesses from around El Paso to celebrate “National Day of the Cowboy” at Cleveland Square Park.

“Cowboys are such a universal symbol of the West in the United States,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov. “Many people grow up watching westerns—but there’s more to cowboys than gunfights and creaky saloons. The vaqueros, the ranchers, and even the animals are all part of what makes the ‘old West’ such a captivating era. What better way to bring together different groups from the community and get kids excited about history?”

During the celebration, which will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, the museum will host an afternoon filled with hands-on activities, giveaways, and history that are fun for visitors of all ages.

The “National Day of the Cowboy” is free and open to the public, and guests are encouraged to visit each booth for the full cowboy experience.

Additionally, visitors can take a break from the heat and head inside the Museum to enjoy two recently opened exhibitions: Changing Pass: People, Land, Memory; and Bases Loaded: El Paso and Beyond.

Free parking will be available at the Glory Road Transit Center during the event, and visitors can ride the streetcar to downtown for free.

The El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) invites the public to celebrate the opening of its newest exhibition, Bases Loaded: El Paso and Beyond.

“Baseball, like apple pie, is one of those ideas that is inseparable from the idea of America,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov. “Here at the Museum, we’re excited to take that national mythos and examine it from the unique El Paso perspective.”

The exhibit, which opens at 6:30 p.m., July 11., celebrates the local and national history of baseball starting with its pre-Civil War origins to the Chihuahuas arriving in El Paso.

In addition to tracing the evolution of baseball’s legacy as a national pastime, the exhibit also highlights baseball’s intersections with race, like the sport’s role in Mexico and key events in breaking the color barrier.

“As visitors move through the exhibit, they are invited to explore how different groups across the United States have shaped baseball’s beginnings, rise, and continued popularity,” museum officials shared. “Interactive displays, like a walkable baseball diamond and Chihuahuas fan photo booth, transform the space into an immersive historical experience.”

Materials for the exhibit have been sourced from across El Paso’s enthusiastic baseball community.

Many of the artifacts for Bases Loaded have been provided by Fernando Grado, an El Paso native and baseball enthusiast. His personal collection, which he began in his youth, includes local memorabilia from the Browns and Diablos as well as collectibles from eminent players like Jackie Robinson and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

Also on display are items borrowed from the El Paso Chihuahuas’ own archive.

The exhibit runs through January 2020 and is free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, officials with the El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) announced that the exhibit – Changing Pass: People, Land, & Memories – would be opening as a permanent part of the facility this weekend.

Residents are invited to the free, family-friendly opening event featuring hands-on activities, to be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 29.

“People tend to think of history as static and unchanging,” Dr. von Tsurikov explained of the process. “But history—and the way we tell that history—is an ever-evolving experience. As a public institution, it is our responsibility to tell the story of El Paso with as many voices as we can.”

The opening of Changing Pass, the permanent installation at EPMH, marks a new chapter for the institution. While Changing Pass is not technically a new exhibit for the museum, the approach to its curation and narrative are reflective of EPMH’s new direction and leadership.

Last fall, Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov was named as EPMH’s new Museum Director, and since then, he and his team have embarked on an ambitious project updating Changing Pass’s content to better reflect the diverse identities of the El Paso community.

For many, Changing Pass is their first introduction to El Paso history. The exhibit serves as a learning tool for classrooms and organizations throughout the area as well as an attraction for those visiting from out of town.

In its new location on the first floor gallery, Changing Pass immediately greets visitors who walk through the door, inviting them to explore and reconsider what the borderlands are all about.

Covering more than 400 years of El Paso del Norte region history, Changing Pass begins with early Indigenous settlers and concludes with ASARCO in the 20th century. As visitors move through different exhibits, they are invited to explore how the El Paso del Norte area, along both sides of the Mexico-United States border, has been defined not only by the unique Chihuahuan desert but by the different groups, countries, and empires who sought to control it. New artifacts, interactive displays, and text panels encourage guests to examine how El Paso’s political, economic, social, environmental, cultural, and religious past has evolved across centuries.

For more information about the museum and exhibits, click here.

On Tuesday, officials with the El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) officials announced the new film exhibition Pride Cinema: Queer Film and Culture in the 20^th and 21^st Century.

The exhibition,which opens Saturday, June 1, the start of international PRIDE month, will feature films focused on LGBTQ+ issues in the 20^th and 21^st Century.

The films in the exhibit, Milk, Paris is Burning, Longtime Companion and others, share the adversities, benchmarks and successes of LBGTQ+ people with a broader audience.

Local El Paso and Juarez LGBTQ+ histories are paired with these films highlighting the reality of these issues as they are ever-present within the borderland community.

“This programming highlights unique local histories that are significant to the El Paso and Juarez region,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Vladimir von Tsurikov. “We are dedicated to bringing more inclusive exhibitions that reflect our diverse communities.”

In addition to the exhibit, the museum will display two panels from the 1987 NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt throughout June. Before the opening of the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to attend a community vigil scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, at Cleveland Square Park.

EPMH has partnered with the Borderland Rainbow Center (BRC), a local non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources for the El Paso LGBTQ+ community and its allies, to exhibit two sections from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Individuals seeking to memorialize their loved ones who died from AIDS can create a quilt panel and submit to the NAMES Project Foundation. The Quilt was displayed in the fall of 1987 across the National Mall in Washington D.C. and was composed of 1,920 individual panels spanning the length of a football field.

The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is recognized as a monumental legacy to bringing awareness to the AIDS/HIV pandemic.

The Pride Cinema: Queer Film and Culture in the 20^th and 21^st Century exhibit runs through November and is free and open to the public.

The El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) has extended operating hours for DIGIE, the nation’s only Digital Wall, to include 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays.

“DIGIE is a valuable resource that the history museum makes available to the community.” said El Paso Museum of History Director Vladimir von Tsurikov. “We are excited to further serve our community by extending DIGIE’s operating hours beyond the museum’s operating hours. This allows for greater accessibility to visitors and community members interested in viewing El Paso’s digital community archive.”

DIGIE stands for Digital Information Gateway in El Paso. The digital wall sustains a vast collection of images and videos exploring El Paso’s past and present through a giant 3-D touch-sensitive TV screen, an online database and the mobile Mini DIGIE.

Museum staff encourages the community and surrounding regions to share their story by uploading files to digie’s website. The website is user friendly and easy to navigate. The content is curated by the community and available for browsing online.

Since opening on Valentine’s Day in 2015, DIGIE has captured 48,080,491 touches and currently holds a collection of more than 14,000 images and videos.

The wall was the first project completed as part of the 2012 Quality of Life Bonds and is one of only four in the world. The others are located in Copenhagen, Denmark; Cairo, Egypt; and Christ’s Church New Zealand.

The El Paso Museum of History, 510 North Santa Fe Street, is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Starting Friday, April 19, the El Paso Museum of History will be honoring El Paso Community College’s half century of contributions to the area via a very special exhibition.

El Paso Community College’s 50^th Anniversary: Honoring the Past, Building the Future at the museum will give visitors an opportunity to see memorabilia and learn about important milestones in the college’s history.

“We are excited to host such a commemorative event in honoring this momentous occasion. Knowing how well established EPCC is within the community, this exhibition highlights not only the institution’s successes, but the importance of education made accessible to the El Paso community and beyond,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov.

The exhibit highlights all aspects of college’s history from its beginnings at Logan Heights at Fort Bliss to all the growth and accomplishments that have helped more than 80,000 students earn degrees.

“El Paso Community College has a legacy of excellence and a real commitment to serving students,” said El Paso Community College President Dr. William Serrata. “I am proud of the work that our board of trustees, faculty and staff have done throughout the past 50 years to facilitate this success which is celebrated in this exhibition. EPCC has a long history of serving this community, serving the state, and ultimately serving the nation by helping students in our region earn the degrees and certificates that they need to achieve their dreams.”

“We invite the community visit the exhibition, to explore the vibrant past of EPCC as well as to look forward to the future we will build together,” said External Relations and 50^th Anniversary Co-Chair Associate Vice President Keri Moe. “This is a real opportunity for us to honor the great work that has been done and to understand the power of education in our community.”

Established in 1969, EPCC is a nationally recognized community college that offers a variety of academic programs, continuing education classes and workforce training.

Today, EPCC serves more than 28,500 students and offers 145 degree and certificate programs.

The exhibition will be on view until September 29. For additional information on the history of EPCC or other events, visit the college’s special anniversary website.

The El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) will host the public screening of the critically acclaimed film “ROMA” on Friday, March 29.

“We invite local community members to head over to the Museum of History to enjoy this public screening of this award-winning film. Partnering with the Consulate General of Mexico offers an excellent opportunity to embrace cultural diplomacy, and engage a broader audience,” said Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov, Director of the El Paso Museum of History.

This screening,  from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at 510 North Santa Fe Street, is hosted in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico to commemorate Women’s History Month.

This event will feature a pre-screening social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. A cash bar and appetizers will be available. The screening will commence at 6:30 p.m.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the film follows a year in the life of Cleo, a young domestic worker employed by a middle-class family in the neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City.

The film captures her gracefully struggle against the social, political, and economic hierarchies of the 1970s, and what the implications of these systems mean for Cleo and her loved ones. “ROMA” won both an Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film. Cuarón won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA for Best Director.

The El Paso Museum of History exists for the educational benefit of the community and visitors. It promotes the understanding and significance of the rich multicultural and multinational history of the border region known as the Pass of the North.

The event is open to the public. Admission to the El Paso Museum of History is free.

Officials with the El Paso Museum of History announced that they will join the “Last Thursdays El Paso: Art Walk and Gallery Crawl” beginning next Thursday.

“Last Thursdays El Paso” is a community grown monthly event that highlights downtown arts, culture, and entertainment.

The cultural event takes place every Last Thursday of the month beginning in March and runs through November, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. beginning on March 28.

“The Museum of History is proud to support a local organization driven to share the rich history and arts culture present in Downtown El Paso,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Vladimir von Tsurikov.

“This is an opportunity to extend our facilities to the greater arts community within the city. The narrative of El Paso’s cultural history is currently included in Last Thursdays and we are pleased to enhance the story further.

For this year’s first session of “Last Thursdays El Paso,” guests who visit the Museum of History may participate in any of the following:

• Film Screening, “The Century of Immigration”: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. as a part of six-week “Becoming American” documentary and lecture series.
• Three-Minute Thesis competition: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. UTEP Graduate School students present research thesis in three minutes.
• DIGIE Demo: (Hourly 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.) Learn how to navigate and submit your El Paso story to the nation’s only Digital Wall. The Museum staff encourages residents to share their story by uploading their files to www.digie.org
• “From Fire and Earth: Pottery Traditions of the Casas Grandes Medio Period.” The free exhibit features many examples of Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz ceramics from the permanent collections of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology and the El Paso Museum of Art.

The museum will host programming on “Last Thursdays El Paso” throughout the year with artist pop-up shops, “Becoming American” lecture series, gallery openings and tours.