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Office of the Secretary |
Contact: Anne
C. James
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For Immediate Release, August 30, 2004 |
202-208-4743
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Interior
Museum to Exhibit "Plein-Air" Painters of El Paso
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Highlighted in the exhibit are works by eleven artists who capture the changing river in changing light. The artists work out-of-doors, or as the French say "en plein air," to render the momentary effects of shifting clouds and sunlight. The exhibit continues on view at the museum through December 10, 2004. The 20 contemporary works of art come to the Interior Museum from the Los Paisanos Gallery at El Paso's Chamizal National Memorial. The National Park Service site interprets the peaceful settlement of the century-long border dispute Credit:Corinne Abeyta-Spinnler, Ocotillo, 2004 between the United States
and Mexico, a dispute that began when the Rio Grande changed its course.
Chamizal National Memorial hosts performances, exhibits, educational
festivals and events to promote cross-cultural The El Paso artists exhibited here celebrate a sense of place and time. Corinne Abeyta-Spinnler paints the muted colors of the river valley punctuated by the red blooms of the Ocotillo plant. Vivid, deep green rows of cotton draw viewers into a scene of fields flanked by a pecan orchard in Krystyna Robbins' oil painting, "Cotton Along the River". The dappled grey light falling on the nearby farmhouse seems the perfect counterpoint to the foreground's lush colors. Sunset's vibrant hues are rendered by Julie Ford Oliver, while Candy Mayer Credit:Krystyna Robbins, Cotton Along the River captured dawn's intensity in her pastel entitled, "Technicolor Franklins." The Franklin Mountains run north to south throughout the region.
The Interior Museum educates the public and Department of the Interior employees about the current missions and programs of the Interior Credit:Julie Ford Oliver, Sunset on the Rio Grande Department, the history of
the agency and the art and architecture of its headquarters building.
The Interior Museum is open to the public Monday through Friday from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except Federal holidays) and the third Saturday
of each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Adult visitors
must present a form of photo identification (such as a driver's license,
student ID, or employment card) when entering the Main Interior Building
at 1849 C Street, N.W., in Washington, D.C. Wheelchair access
Credit: Candy Mayer, Technicolor Franklins
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