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Organizational History and Mission Statement
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Founded in 1959, the El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) is a major cultural and
educational resource for West Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. The Museum houses
a permanent collection of over 5,000 works of art. In addition to displaying
works from its holdings, the Museum offers a diverse schedule of temporary
exhibitions, films, lectures, concerts, and other educational programs to the
general public. EPMA has a steady record of accreditation by the American
Association of Museums. The Museum was first accredited in 1972, then
re-accredited in 1985 and, most recently, in 2001. Since the new downtown
building opened in 1998, the Museum serves approximately 100,000 visitors per
year.
The Mission Statement for the El Paso Museum of Art is:
To collect, interpret, preserve and exhibit works of art that maintain and
support the strengths of the Museum’s permanent collections of American,
European, and Mexican art. The Museum recognizes the region’s diverse cultures
through exhibitions, acquisitions, educational programs and staff and board
representation and is an education institution dedicated to scholarship and
training while providing a stimulating aesthetic environment and resource of
all audiences.
The Museum is municipally funded and is under the jurisdiction of the City of
El Paso, Texas. EPMA, the only accredited art museum within a 250-mile radius,
is located both in the heart of downtown El Paso and blocks away from the
U.S.-Mexico border; it is situated within the world’s largest international
border community with an approximate metropolitan population of over 2.6
million.
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