Each year, the Tom Lea Institute brings fun
and interesting events to life for the community and those
along the Tom Lea Trail – all centered around  a central theme inspired by Tom Lea and his works. 

October

 

1-31

“Ghost on Mount Cristo Rey” Exhibition 

Upon reaching the top of the Cerro de los Muleros where his friend was sculpting a 29 foot monument,  Tom Lea and his wife, Sarah, were startled by a white spectre covered in limestone dust. This exhibition, in partnership with  the Centennial Museum, reveals the history of Urbici Soler’s Risen Christ at the summit of what is today called Mount Cristo Rey.  It also probes the friendship of Lea and Soler, an immigrant sculptor from Barcelona.

UTEP LIBRARY, 3rd Floor Atrium, 1900 Wiggins Dr.,  El Paso, TX

 

7

THURSDAY | 5:30 PM

UTEP's Tom Lea Fellow,

Javier Segovia, is the curator of the “Ghost on Mount Cristo Rey” exhibit. He will expand on the history of the Cristo Rey monument and Lea-Soler friendship, by drawing on a seminar paper written by Tom Lea’s Mexican stepsister, Bertha Partida Schaer, other original research, and a  selection of original paintings. 

UTEP Library, Bloomberg Auditorium, 1900 Wiggins Dr., El Paso, TX

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

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9

SATURDAY

Polo Real: Polo Match & Dinner 

The event honors Tom Lea’s written and painted depictions of horses while recognizing the historic polo matches at Fort Bliss – once the largest cavalry post in the U.S. – where General John Pershing invited Juárez players to join the troops.  Guests will witness the simbiotic relationship of horse and rider as polo teams battle for victory. The game is followed by a short presentation by Adair Margo, then dinner and dancing. Fundraiser for the El Paso Museum of History.  

INFORMATION  ➽ Elizabeth Uribe, 915-850-5448

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13

WEDNESDAY | 6 PM

Paso Del Norte Loteria

Join Andrew Joseph, creator of the Paso del Norte Loteria game, and spar with other teams while learning about El Paso’s long and fascinating history and rich culture. Tapas, drinks, fun – and, who knows, 

Pancho Villa may show up for Happy Hour!   

PANCHO VILLA STASH HOUSE,  331½ Leon St, El Paso, TX

RSVP ➽ EventBrite

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14

THURSDAY | 2 PM

Author John Fitch at Péché

Sip wine and enjoy appetizers at the trendy Austin restaurant and bar Péché, and join John Fitch, author of Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress, as he shares tips from his book. As a teen on his grandfather’s Texas ranch, Fitch immersed himself in Tom Lea’s novels, which inspired his writing and life. Adair Margo will share insights into The Wonderful Country story and illustrations that will be on view.  

PÉCHÉ, 208 W 4th St, Austin, TX

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14

THURSDAY | 6 PM

Stampede & Music

Join us for an evening of music in celebration of Tom Lea. Composer and musician Raymond (Seth) Bedford, Orchestra Head Director for Odessa High School, will perform a piece inspired by Lea’s mural Stampede. Audience members will be able to view Stampede throughout the performance. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.  All ages are welcome to this free event.  

ELLEN NOEL MUSEUM, 4909 E University Blvd, Odessa, TX

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

 

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16

SATURDAY | 7 PM

Exhibition Opening Party

The MillikenGarza Gallery will exhibit Brownsville’s Connection to King Ranch including work by Tom Lea, photography by Helen Kleberg and Toni Frissell,  and artifacts of other south Texas ranches.  Tom Lea’s  history of the King Ranch was dedicated to the Kinenos, and the story of vaqueros, who made Texas ranches prosper, will be told. Limited edition of Qué Tal Juan Sanchez available for purchase. Exhibit runs through January 9, 2022.  

MillikenGarza Gallery,  1009 E Adams Street Brownsville, TX 

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

 

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20

WEDNESDAY | 9:30 AM

Broadcast

Tune in to the broadcast from Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez as Adair Margo, author of Tom Lea, An Oral History and Holly Cobb, Executive Director of the Tom Lea Institute, tell about the officially recognized Tom Lea Trail in Northern Chihuahua, as well as a discussion about bi-lingual curricula teaching Mexican and American children about their rich frontier history.  

LINK ➽ Eventbrite

 

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21

THURSDAY | 6 PM

Secrets Behind the Making of the Equestrian Monument

El Paso International Airport’s Equestrian Monument is the largest mounted horseman in the world, taking more than 10 years for sculptor John Houser to breathe life into the 36-foot cast bronze.  This session will share the lengths to which John and Ethan Houser went to fully comprehend their subject, and the tedious process of enlarging horse and rider to colossal scale. Led by art historian Adair Margo, with Ethan Houser, apprentice to his father, and Jody Schwartz, photographer, who will discuss the trials and tribulations of classical bronze casting, and the reasons Tom Lea esteemed and heartily endorsed John Houser’s point of view as a practicing sculptor.  Includes beautiful commemorative booklet using Houser’s words about creating the monument.

HOTEL INDIGO OUTDOOR PATIO, 325 N Kansas St, El Paso, TX 

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

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22

FRIDAY | 6:30 PM

Scenic Cocktail Reception

Scenic Cocktail Reception. Get a panoramic view and tour of the entire region at the Paso Del Norte Hotel patio overlooking El Paso and Cd. Juarez. Mingle with Joe Lea, Chairman; Adair Margo, Founder; and Holly Cobb, Executive Director of the Tom Lea Institute.  Holly will provide an overview of the weekend’s activities.  Appetizers and live music featured no-host cocktails. All are welcome. 

PASO DEL NORTE HOTEL, 10 Henry Trost Ct., El Paso, TX

RSVP ➽ EventBrite

 

 

23

SATURDAY | 10:30 AM

Horse Exhibition

Wanting his subjects to be recognized by those who knew them best, Tom Lea paid attention to different breeds of horses and their visible characteristics. He wrote that “To breed a noble horse is to share with God in one of His mysteries. As well as one of His delights.”  He also expressed the joy he had in capturing “portrait likeness.”  Lea’s interest in the breeding of horses extended to a fascination with the training and riding of them, as described in his historic novel The Hands of Cantu. Don’t miss this demonstration of different breeds of horses, with presentations on their origins and purpose.  Enjoy hands-on kids’ activities; BBQ lunch available. 

COMPADRES THERAPY INC. HORSE ARENA

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23

SATURDAY | 12:30 PM

Presentation & Wine Tasting

Through Tom Lea’s The Hands of Cantu, equine scholar Jason Bruemmer began his career understanding the science of horses.  Dr. Bruemmer will trace the importance of the horse in shaping history and world events. Also enjoy tasting wines from the Rio Grande valley and live music in a patio setting in the vineyard. 

ZIN VALLE VINEYARDS, 7315 Canutillo La Union Rd. Canutillo, TX

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23

SATURDAY | 5:30 PM

¡VIVA MEXICO! Dinner and Show

Travel through Mexico’s rich culture and history in a magnificent show of music, dancing, and horsemanship! Partake of a traditional Mexican dinner ringside to the performance.  Van departs at 5:30 from El Paso and will cross the international bridge to Juárez. Dinner ordered from the menu and billed to patrons. Bring passport or identification, which should also be provided with RSVP.

¡VIVA MEXICO!, 7315 Av. Abraham Lincoln 900-1, Zona Pronaf Condominio La Plata, Cuidad Juárez 

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24

SUNDAY | 10 AM

Old Mount Franklin Field Trip

This is a beginners’ level hike to introduce the geology of the Franklin Mountains and Tom Lea’s book, “Old Mount Franklin.” This trip brings his writings to life, out in our mountains. Guests will even have the chance to fit 600 million years of time between their two fingers!  Led by Southwest University geologist Eric Kappus, Ph.D. 

MEETING SPOT: McKelligon Canyon gate just off Alabama Street

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24

SUNDAY | 4 PM

Festive Charreada at the Castro Ranch

Delight in a Mexican rodeo with charros and escaramuzas in traditional costumes competing in breathtaking suertes with mariachi music filling the air.  Tom Lea wrote that he considered himself fortunate to live on the border of Mexico.  Join us for this family event and experience the reasons why!  $10 per person. 

CASTRO RANCH, 7530 Damian Rd, Canutillo, TX 

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

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24

SUNDAY | 6 PM

Dinner at the Castro Ranch

After the charreada, join Martha Vera, Honorary Consul of Spain, for a presentation to discover the surprising truth about the colonization of New Mexico, as well as a Mexican repast. Then enjoy  corridos by Vera and Omar Castro, the owner of the ranch.  $35 per person for dinner, beverages, and presentation.  

CASTRO RANCH, 7530 Damian Rd, Canutillo, TX

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

 

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26

TUESDAY | 5:30 PM

Riders Across the Centuries: Horsemen of the Spanish Borderlands

Claudia Rivers, Director of  UTEP’s Special Collections, will take participants through the library’s collection of Jose Cisneros’  work, commissioned in the 1980s when the new library was built. When Cisneros first showed his drawings to Tom Lea in 1938,  Lea wrote a note to the city librarian, Maud Durlin Sullivan, saying “this guy has some stuff!”  By the time Jose Cisneros died at age 99, he’d been honored by the King of Spain, governors, literary societies, and President George W. Bush, who presented him with the National Humanities Medal in 2001.

UTEP LIBRARY, SONNICHSEN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, 1900 Wiggins Rd, 6th Floor, El Paso, TX

RSVP ➽Link

 

 

28

THURSDAY | 5:30 PM

Tom Lea's Magic Touchstone of Horsemanship in Word and Song

At the invitation of Mexican Consul General Mauricio Ibarra Ponce de León, José Mario Sanchez – with his operatic voice and deep knowledge of history – will present a program inspired by Tom Lea’s fascination with Mexican horsemanship. A reception follows.

MEXICAN CONSULATE, 910 E San Antonio Ave., El Paso, TX

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

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29

FRIDAY | 11 AM

Soldiers Painting Horses

Upon coming home from World War II where he served as an artist correspondent, Tom Lea longed to paint what he loved most.  One of his first paintings was The Shining Plain,  a mounted frontiersman in tall grass, which helped work images of the carnage he’d witnessed out of his head. After introducing the equestrian art of Tom Lea,  Dr. Thomas Birkner, UTEP Professor of Painting, will give soldiers a drawing lesson before they discover the pleasure of capturing an image of a horse in paint.  

SOLDIER RECOVERY UNIT, FORT BLISS

MILITARY PERSONNEL ONLY

 

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November

 

5

FRIDAY | 4 PM

The Hands of Cantú Presentation & Dramatic Reading

The El Paso Museum of Art is one of the largest repositories of Tom Lea paintings, including the complete set of ink wash illustrations for The Hands of Cantú. A gift from Mary Lewis Kleberg of the King Ranch, they help tell the story of orphaned Toribio as he is mentored by Don Vito Cantú, a breeder of the finest horses in New Spain. Toribio advances from roping cows to putting “a great horse through every elegant variation of movement, using a single finger of the left hand on the reins.”  When someone rustles the horses in exchange for Indian concubines and gold, there’s an adventure in regaining them. This presentation explores the novel’s themes followed by  a dramatic reading by Eden Performing Arts, a viewing of the original illustrations, and reception with Spanish music.  

EL PASO MUSEUM OF ART, 1 Arts Festival Plaza, El Paso, TX

RSVP ➽ Eventbrite

 

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6

SATURDAY | 11 AM

Horsehair Pottery Lesson

After returning to the Southwest from Chicago, Tom Lea worked for  Dr. H.P. Mera in a WPA-supported job illustrating Pueblo “Rain Bird” designs at the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe. The experience recalled childhood memories of his father’s Casas Grandes pottery collection.  After a presentation on indigenous pottery, soldiers and their families will learn how to create horsehair pottery, witnessing how strands from a horse’s mane and tail make lines on a pot.

SOLDIER RECOVERY UNIT, FORT BLISS

MILITARY PERSONNEL ONLY

 

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14

SUNDAY | 3 PM

The Orchestra of New Spain

Spend an afternoon immersed in art and the music of The Orchestra of New Spain inspired by Tom Lea’s historic novel The Hands of Cantú, which is written in English as if it’s spoken Spanish and illustrated in ink wash.  Adair Margo, founder of the Tom Lea Institute, will present the story and illustrations of The Hands of Cantú novel.  Reception follows in the spectacular art deco Hall of State and viewing Tom Lea’s two murals commissioned for the building. In partnership with the Orchestra of New Spain and the Dallas Historical Society. 

THE HALL OF STATE AT FAIR PARK,  3939 Grand Avenue, Dallas, TX

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COMING

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February 11

FRIDAY | 5:30 PM

I Love El Paso

This year’s I Love El Paso couple is Rick and Bobette Lange, who – though warned that they should not move to El Paso – fell in love with the city upon arrival.  Rick is the President of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a cardiologist, who, after moving to Texas from his native Alaska, met and fell in love with Bobette. In this interview, they will share how they have navigated the joys and challenges of marriage and family while maintaining a balanced, healthy life.  The Langes will give insights about how they made decisions at critical junctures and what they might do differently. Enjoy wine and beer tastings and hors d’oeuvres.  

location: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.

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RSVP ➽ EventBrite