Tom Lea, Rio Grande, 1954, El Paso Museum of Art.
The Art of Tom Lea
Becky Duval Reese
SUnday, september 27, 2026
Doors 2:00pm | Lecture 2:30PM
In-Person & on zoom
TICKETS
$20 General Admission | $10 students | Free for NCHM Members
“Tom Lea was perhaps the ultimate regionalist.
Tom Lea records a song to this land, this place that is unique to all things Texan. A region of two countries and three states where the Rockies and Sierra Madres come together, a land of the senses where you smell the rain on the creosote; a culture where you hear multiple languages describe the same vista; a place where mountains, sky, and desert define character.”
(From: Afterword to the Memorial Edition, (Becky Duval Reese) The Art of Tom Lea)
Join us as Becky Duval Reese shares her memories of artist, muralist, writer, war correspondent, Tom Lea. Additionally, Marshall Meece of the TACO board and former resident of El Paso, will share his memories of Lea.
Light refreshments available before the lecture.
Free parking is available behind the Museum; accessible from W 23rd St.
To attend online, register and receive the Zoom meeting link by email ahead of the lecture.
About the Speaker:
Becky Duval Reese served as Director of the El Paso Museum of Art from 1991-2005, providing world-class art experiences and promoting community inclusion. As director she oversaw the completion of a new 108,000 sq, ft, building in downtown El Paso. During her tenure the museum’s collections grew by more than 1,000 objects with emphasis on art created by artists of Texas and the region. Her achievements resulted in a museum nationally recognized for the strength of its acquisitions, its dynamic public programming, and its impressive new building.
Becky’s museum career began at New Mexico State University where she was founding director/curator of the University Art Gallery. From 1976-1991 she was educational curator, assistant director and then, interim director of the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery at the University of Texas at Austin (now the Blanton Museum of Art.). She has served on the Texas Association of Museums Council and she’s been President of the Texas Fine Arts Association. She has served as a field reviewer for the Institute of Museums and Library Services and as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She has organized and juried over thirty exhibitions and published numerous articles, essays and exhibition catalogs dealing with the history of Texas art; with topics in museum education; and, art for young people. She has lectured widely and developed educational videos and art documentaries. She was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame and received numerous civic awards and honors. She was a board member for UTEP’s Lifelong Learning Institute and in San Marcos is the Associate Director of Lifelong Learning. She served on The Wittliff Collections’ Advisory Council from 2017-2024. In addition, she produced two recent publications: Another World: The Art of David Everett and Denny McCoy: Day by Day.
Sponsors
Want to become a sponsor for this event? Contact Cristina Feldott at (512) 478-2335 or cfeldott@nchmuseum.org.