Borderlands, The Heritage of the Lower Rio Grande: Indian and Spanish Eras

What:

An exhibition of 27 original, hand-drawn and hand-colored illustrations by renowned El Paso artist Jose Cisneros. The works are from the Museum's collection of over 50 illustrations, commissioned from Mr. Cisneros between 1980 and 1998. They depict typical people from the main eras in Lower Rio Grande history. The works chosen for this exhibit cover the Indian, Spanish Exploration, and Spanish Colonial eras. The time span is from the pre-Spanish period to Mexico's war of independence (or, B.C.E.* to 1820).

The Museum's entire Cisneros collection was published in the book, Borderlands: The Heritage of the Lower Rio Grande Through the Art of Jose Cisneros. The book accompanied the larger exhibition of the originals in 1998-1999. It is available in the Museum Store.

The artist was born in Mexico in 1910, and has been a U. S. citizen since before WWII. He has spent a lifetime depicting the peoples of the U. S. & Mexico (or Southwestern) borderlands. For many years he has had a special interest in the horse-riding characters of borderlands history. In recent decades his pen-and-ink style and attention to detail has earned Jose Cisneros national and international renown. His works have appeared in numerous books and other publications.

Where:
Jail ground-floor galleries (Old Jail Kitchen and Old Jail Office).

How long:
The exhibition is now open. It is scheduled to run through March 2 (Sunday).