Ho Baron Exhibit Begins at UTEP

Video courtesy of Lisa Degliantoni

Ho Baron's exhibit (Gods for Future Religions: Surreal Sculptures by Ho) opened yesterday evening at UTEP with a well-attended reception that included many of his neighbors.

Lisa Degliantoni gave this summary of the video:

"Tonight Newmanista Ho Baron celebrated a very well-attended opening of his work at the UTEP Exhibition Gallery. Known for his surreal sculpture The Water God that faces traffic on the corner of Piedras and Aurora, Baron is a longtime Newman Park Neighborhood resident. This show features more than 30 free standing sculptures plus a small room of about seven reliefs accented with vibrant colors. Influenced by his time spent in Africa when in the Peace Corps, Baron is collected all over the world and you can catch him this summer at the Santa Fe Flea Market where he'll have his own booth. For more information on Ho and his career, visit www.hobaron.com."

Of the opening reception Ho Baron said:

"The opening was a big success: lots of friends, lots of interesting people, a fine setting. Surprisingly, a number of people from the neighborhood showed up - people who had passed my house lots of times said they enjoyed my work but they'd never stopped to say 'hello'. It was great.

"My 'gods' shined."

Ho Baron Exhibit Opens March 4 at UTEP

Click on image to enlarge

Newmanista Ho Baron will exhibit his sculptures in the UTEP Student Union Gallery beginning with a reception next Thursday, March 4. The reception will begin at 7 p.m. Union East/2nd Floor. Entitled "Gods for Future Religions: Surreal Sculptures by Ho", the exhibit will run through April 2.

Mr. Baron's sculptures are well known to neighbors. His home is also a popular stop for trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

For more information about his art, visit Ho's website.

UTEP to Sponsor War on Drugs Conference

We have all seen those news stories about people who witness a violent crime and do nothing. There are plenty of reports of someone being molested and no one coming to the rescue. Such stories tug at our consciences. In a way that is what is happening to all of us in El Paso now. We stare at the hideous violence in Juarez. Is there nothing that we can do?

In her blog entry, War on Drugs: Is It Working?, our City Representative Susie Byrd says it best:

"So it is easy to seal ourselves off from the violence in Juarez, not cross over. Bemoan the daily headlines and trust the law enforcement agencies that it will not spill over. But as citizens of El Paso, as citizens of the United States, we should not let our sense of security distance us from the violence in our sister city, from the violence begat from an insatiable hunger for illegal drugs in the United States and the laws that have created irresistible profit margins for greedy thugs with guns. The violence in Juarez is our problem. This region, El Paso and Juarez, have sat perched at the edge of a great renaissance. The insecurity in Juarez has unraveled economic gains in our region. Momentum is lost. Worry sets in.

We can't really afford to just stand by."

The University of Texas at El Paso is sponsoring a two day conference on the U.S. war on drugs beginning with a reception this coming Sunday night. Scholars, journalists, politicians and others will discuss the American drug war policy since its inception under President Nixon, its broad consequences and possible alternative strategies. For more information, go to http://warondrugsconference.utep.edu/.

The Chihuahuan Desert

The map above gives you a sense of our Place in relationship to the ecoregion known as the Chihuahuan Desert. For more information, visit the Chihuahuan Desert Home Page of the University of Texas at El Paso.

A great place to visit and to take visitors to our City is the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at the Centennial Museum on the UTEP campus. In fact, a visit to all of the exhibits at the Centennial Museum is well worth the trip.

In fact, mark your calendars for this weekend’s Flora Fest at the UTEP Centennial Museum. Flora Fest is the annual native plant sale. It begins Saturday morning, April 26th, at 9a.m. You can find native plants from 9 to 5 on both Saturday and Sunday. It is best to get there first thing on Saturday as plants are quickly bought-up at this very popular, annual event. Here is a list of plants that will be available. Plants that are native to our desert environment require less water and are better adapted to pests, diseases and weather conditions that plague non-natives.

Also get to know the El Paso Chapter of the Native Plant Society, become a member or just attend some of their very educational events. It's a good way to get to know our Place.