Mexican Art in Texas TMA Fall Lecture Series II This Weekend Tyler Texas

            (TYLER, TX) September 28, 2010 – The Tyler Museum of Art will host the second installment of its Fall Lecture Series this Saturday, October 2 beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the TMA classroom. The title of the lecture is “Creating a Mexican Art Museum in Texas” and will be delivered by Sylvia Orozco, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin. During her talk, Sylvia will discuss the history of Mexican art in Texas, as well as the relevance of this type of art to this region and the challenges of bringing it here.

            “The lecture is one part of a series of events organized by the Tyler Museum of Art in celebration of Mexico’s 200^th anniversary of its independence,” said Ken Tomio, TMA Head of Education. “As an artist and the Executive Director of Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, which has been designated as the ‘Official Mexican and Mexican American Fine Art Museum of Texas’ by the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas, Sylvia is one of the most qualified individuals to deliver such a talk.” Rotating artworks selected from the Dan and Laura Boeckman Collection of Mexican Folk Art are exhibited in the TMA Lobby in a permanent space and will be available for viewing by lecture participants. 

             The lecture is free for TMA Members. Admission for non-members is $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Space is limited and guests are asked to reserve their space by calling the Museum at 903.595.1001.

Sylvia has been with the Mexic-Arte Museum since its inception in 1984. She received her B.F.A. in Fine Arts from The University of Texas at Austin in 1978 and completed course work for an M.F.A. in Fine Arts from the Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City in 1983. In 2007, Sylvia received the prestigious Ohtli Award from the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior of the General Consulate of Mexico, and in 2009 was selected for the Austin Arts Hall of Fame. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mexican American Cultural Center and on City of Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell's Community Cabinet.

            In addition to the second Fall Lecture, the TMA will offer several other events in celebration of the bicentennial anniversary including the annual Day of the Dead Art Show, featuring works by local middle school students October 30 through November 5 at the Museum. The TMA will also install an exhibition of Mexican Folk Art at the Tyler Public Library as a part of its “Art Around Every Corner” program, on view during the month of November. And finally, the Museum is collaborating with the Fort Worth Community Art Center, which will host an exhibition of photographs by George O. Jackson selected from the Museum’s permanent collection.

            The Tyler Museum of Art, accredited by the American Association of Museums, is located at 1300 S. Mahon Ave., adjacent to the Tyler Junior College campus off East Fifth Street. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. (The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays.) Lunch is available in the Museum Café from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and the TMA Gift Shop is open during Museum hours. For more information, call (903) 595-1001 or visit www.tylermuseum.org.