Yulene Hernndez

The International Museum of Art

Process Paper
How I chose my topic
The main reason I chose The International Museum of Art as my topic for my Hometown Historian
project was because I love art and everything there is to know about it. I had passed by The
International Museum of Art plenty of times on my way to school and I wanted to know more about its
creation and uprising.
How I conducted my research
I began conducting my research in the Wiggs Middle School library. I used the computers and found
various El Paso Times articles about The International Museum of Art. A friend also lent me a book
about El Paso that contained information about the museum called El Paso: A Centennial Portrait.
Afterwards, I paid a visit to the Dorris Van Doren Library to gather some more newspaper articles,
including one from the Ruidoso Times. Lastly, I went to The International Museum of Art to interview
the tour guide, Louie Garcia.
How I created and developed my project
First of all, I reviewed all of my resources one last time before starting my project. Secondly, I went
on weebly.com, chose a template, and began to work. I added several tabs including the Travel Guide
and Home page. Then, I inserted all of my research onto its corresponding tabs along with adding
pictures to the website. Finally, I cited all of my work and published my website as
internationalmuseumofart.weebly.com.
How my project relates to the theme
Exploration
In 1925, Kate Moore brown, the president of the Womens Department of the El Paso Chamber of
Commerce, obtained a collection of items as a donation to the city of El Paso. These items were only to
be kept if they were displayed in a museum. Thats why Kate Brown explored and considered various
locations in El Paso as options for a museum. Then, in 1940, Iva Turney deeded her home to the City of
El Paso making the mansion a perfect location for the first art museum of El Paso.
Encounter
Before the Turney mansion was ever built, William W. Turney encountered Henry Trost and asked
him to design a house for him. The house was known as a conservative classical revival home when
and after it was built. Also, when Samuel Kress donated his European artwork to the museum, a conflict
was encountered. There was not enough space for the artwork to be hung! The problem was solved in
1960 when two wings were added to the museum. The Kress collection was soon hung in 1961.
Exchange
In 1940, Iva Turney exchanged the Turney mansion for $11,860 at a local tax auction in El Paso,
Texas. The house was opened as a museum later on in 1947. Not only was the International Museum of
Art the first art museum in El Paso, but it provided education on European art, Mexican, Asian, and
African artifacts. As well as allowing people to learn about different cultures from all over the world in
a more visual way than reading books and articles.