Events

Museum Exhibits

Lucha Libre: Stories from the Ring

August 26, 2021 - March 13, 2022

The exhibition tells the history of Lucha Libre, its connections to the border region, and the stories that have come from the sport. Lucha Libre: Stories from the Ring, El Paso edition, will showcase stories, sponsors and memorabilia all related to local Lucha Libre history. The Museum of History has partnered with the City of Las Cruces Museums to bring the exhibition to El Paso. The original exhibition opened at the Branigan Cultural Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the spring of 2020, but it had to be cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Face coverings are required while visiting the El Paso Museum of History. The exhibition will remain on display at the museum through March 2022.

More Information: https://epmuseumofhistory.org/exhibitions/current/exhibit/24

Resilience: Remembering August 3rd

April 8, 2021 - August 3, 2023

On August 3, 2019, a mass shooting at the Wal-Mart #2201 in East Central El Paso shook the city of El Paso, Texas. That day, El Paso and the region lost twenty-two people while many were physically injured and suffered medical trauma. The subsequent year, after a long battle in the hospital, the 23rd victim succumbed to his wounds. In the days and weeks to follow, the grief stricken city banded together to remember the people who lost their lives from this brutal attack. The residents of El Paso as well as people from around the world demonstrated their empathy through their skills by creating murals, memorials, songs and fundraisers to uplift the community, and help the victims’ families. The outpouring of support took shape through a massive block long memorial at the site of the tragedy. Here, El Pasoans and visitors gathered to pay their respects and share their prayers and condolences.

This exhibition aims to highlight the El Paso community’s strength, endurance and love in the face of adversity. Resilience is this community’s hallmark, as it collectively heals and stands strong in love in the face of racism and hate.

More Information: https://epmuseumofhistory.org/exhibitions/permanent/

The Devil You Say! The Saintly and not so Saintly, in Folk Art

June 17, 2021 - December 31, 2021

The Devil You Say! is an exhibition that aims to highlight the ascribed Christian concept of duality and how that concept has historically shaped folk-art practices in the Americas.

“The works selected for this exhibition come from a variety of cultures, representing centuries of creativity. The inspiration of many of the artists in our exhibition, most of them anonymous, stems from personal belief, often of a profound nature. Some creations emerged from workshop, or near workshop, environments, and were intended to meet market demands for devotional objects. Some works are decorative—others are intended to be used in a didactic or publicly devotional manner. Some works are intended to profit from a buyer’s unreasonable fear (or lack thereof), while others are objects of intense personal devotion, representing visions wildly abstracted from convention and difficult to reattach to established historical context. A few, defying any reasonable categorization, help keep the boundaries delightfully fuzzy.”

Michael T. Ricker, Collector

Garland, TX

More Information: https://epmuseumofhistory.org/exhibitions/current/exhibit/22

Where We Will Grow: Elsie Slater, Plants and Art

September 9, 2021 - January 15, 2022

The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso’s Biodiversity Collections and Art Department is proud to present “Where We Will Grow: Elsie Slater, Plants and Art”, an exhibition showcasing the art and science inspired by the work of local botanist, artist, and writer Elsie Slater. Through this exhibit, visitors will see plants in a new way with modern pieces created by UTEP students alongside Elsie’s scientific specimens, writings and art from the early 1900s. The exhibit also includes a self-guided tour through the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens featuring species found in Elsie Slater’s preserved plant collections.