Changing Exhibitions
La Época de Oro: The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema in the Rio Grande Valley
Upper Old Jail Gallery, Open through Sept. 2012In the early 1930s, talking pictures became a global phenomenon, and the Mexican movie industry entered what is now termed the Golden Age of Cinema, or La Epoca de Oro, and found a ready audience for its product in the United States, with its expanding Spanish-speaking population. This temporary exhibit features 21 original Mexican film posters from the museum’s collection that date from the 1930s through the 1960s. Lobby cards, publicity photos, artifacts, and movie trailers are also included. The museum was pleased to acquire these materials offered from the private collection of Rogelio Agrasánchez Jr., the director and curator of the Agrasanchez Film Archive in Harlingen, the world's largest private collection of mexican cinema.
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“Saints Preserve Us!” Retablos, Ex Votos, and Related Objects from the Museum Collection
Upper Old Jail Gallery, Open through Sept. 2012This exhibit examines the artistic representation of saints and the roles of these images in the daily lives of people of this region over the last 200 years through the display of 17 retablos or devotional paintings, two ex-votos or votive offerings, and one santo or saint figure from the museum collection, most of which date from the 19th century. The exhibit also reflects the use of images of saints on home altars through regional photographs taken during the Great Depression by the Farms Security Administration and the recreation of a home altar with materials from the museum collection.