Second Floor galleries are temporarily closed as our HVAC system undergoes a major upgrade. Kress, American Art, Contemporary Art, and Latin American Art collections will remain off view until the upgrade is complete. Thank you for your patience!
Second Floor galleries are temporarily closed as our HVAC system undergoes a major upgrade. Kress, American Art, Contemporary Art, and Latin American Art collections will remain off view until the upgrade is complete. Thank you for your patience!
Edward Hayes joined the Museum in 2023. He brings over 15 years of experience as a bilingual art museum professional in curatorial and arts administration roles. He has held positions at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California; International Arts & Artists in Washington, D.C.; and the McNay Art Museum in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Hayes earned degrees at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (MA Art History). He believes his bicultural upbringing informs his passion for bridging disparate worlds together through the transformative power of art.
Michael Reyes was born and raised in central El Paso. He has a BA in English and American Literature with a minor in Museum Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of San Francisco. Reyes brings a decade of experience in curatorial, collections care, grant writing, and public outreach. He has held positions at the C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department at UTEP; El Paso Museum of Art; Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at UTEP; County of El Paso; Gay Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society in San Francisco; National Japanese American Historical Society in San Francisco; and the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts. Most recently he served as the Curator at the El Paso Museum of History.
Ariana García Varela was born in Chihuahua, México. She moved to Arizona from Ciudad Juárez to obtain her BA in Art History and Museum Studies and her MA in Spanish Literature at Arizona State University. Varela holds a PhD from the University of Kansas. Since 2012, she has worked in collections, education, and curatorial departments at diverse institutions. She was Assistant Curator at the Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City, Assistant Curator and Print Room Assistant at ASU Art Museum, and Spanish Materials Preservation Project Assistant at Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas. Ariana has worked as a co-curator at The Sagrado Galleria in South Phoenix and the City of Phoenix Department of Arts and Culture. While living in Kansas, she partnered with the Lawrence Arts Center and the Watkins Museum of History to create exhibitions and workshops to promote Latin American artists.
Claudia S. Preza is a bilingual arts administrator focusing primarily on identity and counter-hegemonic initiatives within the US and MX border region. She strives to develop and support initiatives, exhibitions, and programming that present narratives of historically silenced individuals within the US art historical canon, such as the Latine and LGBTQIA+ community. With 10 years of experience working in various art museums and galleries, Preza has fostered her skills in grant writing, fund management, and working as a liaison between artists and donors. Preza holds an MA in museum professions with a concentration in Exhibition Development and a BA in Art History.
Josie Jimarez-Howard has been with the Museum since 2016, serving in a variety of roles. She brings over 15 years of experience in community outreach and customer service. Jimarez-Howard is passionate about supporting and collaborating with local artists to showcase the talent and culture of El Paso. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Jacqueline Sierra is an El Paso native. She holds a BA in History with a minor in Museum Studies, an MA in History with a focus on the intersections between African American and Mexican American histories in the El Paso borderlands, and a certification in Public History from UTEP. Prior to joining EPMA, she worked as a Collections and Tours Coordinator at the Tom Lea Institute in El Paso. Sierra was a Research Assistant at the Institute of Oral History at UTEP, where she conducted oral histories and helped in the development of the Bracero Museum of Socorro, and held an internship at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.
Ivan Calderon first joined EPMA as a contract worker in 2018, eventually becoming a Painting and Drawing Teaching Artist within the Museum’s Art School. Calderon has previously worked in art education at the Creative Kids oLo Gallery in El Paso and the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He is a professional working artist, and is a founding member of Cult___ Studios, an artist collective and residency in El Paso. Calderon holds a Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing from UTEP.
Alejandro Arrioja began at EPMA as an Art Handler in 2018 before moving into this current role. Arrioja was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Metalsmithing and a minor in Graphic Design from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Bernadette Ramos joined EPMA in 2018, as Art Handler/Gallery Technician working closely with the Museum Registrar who they succeeded in 2020. Ramos holds a Bachelors in Art with a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master’s of Science in Library Science with a focus in Archival Studies and Imaging Technology from the University of North Texas.
Nick Munoz has been with EPMA since 2002, when he began working in the Operations Department he now leads. He has held Assistant Preparator and Preparator roles, and currently leads all museum installations. Munoz holds a B.F.A. in studio arts from the University of Texas at El Paso, and studied with renowned metalsmith Rachelle Thiewes and sculptor Ray Parish. His 20+ years of service to the City and the Museum is a reflection of his dedication to the arts in El Paso.
Kate Bujanda joined the EPMA team in 2022 as an Art Handler/ Gallery Technician and became Museum Preparator in June of 2023. Bujanda holds a BFA with a concentration in fiber arts from Arizona State University, and is a self-taught stained-glass artist.
Prior to joining EPMA, Arias worked with the Galveston Historical Foundation assisting in the restoration and preservation of historic buildings, and completed a Multidisciplinary Studies degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. He has installed exhibitions for EPMA since 2022.
Miguel was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Ciudad Juarez. He graduated from Coronado High School and attended the University of Texas at El Paso for undergraduate and graduate studies in art focusing on painting, printmaking and sculpture. His artwork is informed by the current social-political climate of Mexico and U.S. coexistence/codependency.