An important part of EPMA’s mission is to feature works from living artists across a range of media. The Contemporary collection is focused primarily on artists from Texas, the US/Mexico border region, and the Southwest. Among EPMA’s many works by artists with El Paso roots are James Drake’s 1989 sculptural installation Cinco de Mayo, Gaspar Enriquez’s 1992 multi-part painting Generations of Attitudes, and Luis Jiménez’s 1969–74 colorful fiberglass sculpture Barfly (Statue of Liberty).

EPMA’s Contemporary collection includes works by noteworthy photographers such as David Taylor’s 2009 The Great Plain (With Vehicle Barrier), Tohono O’odham Nation, and Teun Voeten’s 2012 Couple on a Motorcycle Watch a Crime Scene, Juárez. Newer acquisitions include Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco’s Lotus Leaves of 2014 and video installations Be Fruitful, 2016, by Asya Reznikov and El Norte, 2013, by Rebeca Méndez.