[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 34 (Thursday, March 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNITION OF ARTIST JOSE CISNEROS INDUCTED INTO THE INTERNATIONAL 
     ASSOCIATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS EL PASO ARTISTS' HALL OF FAME

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                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 1999

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize my fellow El 
Pasoan, Mr. Jose Cisneros, as a recent inductee to the El Paso Artists' 
Hall of Fame. Mr. Cisneros was honored this past November in El Paso, 
Texas.
  Jose has lived in El Paso since the 1930's and has led an amazing 
life. He was born in Villa Ocampo, Durango, Mexico, on April 18, 1910. 
He grew up during the Mexican revolution, and his family moved often in 
search of work. With his great will and determination, Jose taught 
himself how to read and write. In addition, he also taught himself to 
paint, draw, and do calligraphy. In 1925, he moved to Ciudad Juarez 
where he enrolled in the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso and began 
learning English. In 1927, Jose emigrated to the United States, 
although he maintained a dual residence while caring for his declining 
parents. Unfortunately, his family did not encourage his budding 
artistic talent, calling them monitos, or worthless doodles. However, 
Jose persevered and began entering his art into Mexican journals during 
the 1930's. In 1939, he met Vicenta Madero, who later became his wife. 
Together, they raised a family or five daughters and one niece. Jose 
became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1948. Amazingly 
enough, Jose Cisneros is color-blind and for many years depended on his 
wife, who passed away in 1994, to mix colors for him. Today, Jose's 
daughters mix his colors.
  Jose prides himself in the preservation of the history of the 
Southwest through his work. The University of Texas System Board of 
Regents selected him as the 1969 laureate for the Dobie Paisano 
Fellowship, the first artist to ever receive the award. The Western 
Writers of America presented him with the Owen Wister Award, named in 
tribute of the author of the ``Virginian'', in 1997. In April 1998, he 
was declared a living legend by Westerners International, the highest 
honor given by this worldwide organization of people enamored of the 
American West. During the Spring of 1998, the State of Texas held a 
reception and dinner in Jose's honor. He is also a December 1998 
recipient of the University of Alcala's medal for his lifetime 
contribution to the history of Spain in the New World. Among his 
honors, Jose cherishes his election to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame 
and Western Heritage Center and the El Paso Historical Society's Hall 
of Honor. Other accolades include being knighted by King Juan Carlos I 
of Spain and induction as a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher. Jose has also 
received the Wrangler Award for Best Book Art and the Westerners 
International Best Book Award for artistic research and detail.
  His paintings are in collections all around the world including the 
Palace of the Governors Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the 
Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, Texas. His talents can be 
seen year round in his `` hundred horsemen'' which line the walls of 
the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) Library. Former U.S. President 
George Bush and Texas Governor George W. Bush also have collections of 
Cisneros's paintings.
  Jose's artwork has been in several juried art competitions including 
Hidalgo County Historical Museum in Edinburgh, Texas, and the 
University of the Pacific. His artwork has also appeared in 
competitions of the Centennial Museum at UTEP and the El Paso Museum of 
Art.
  Jose's artwork has also appeared in several exhibitions beginning 
with the El Paso Public Library and the Centro Escolar Benito Juarez in 
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1938. His artwork received 
widespread recognition from his exhibit at a Western Heritage 
Association annual meeting in 1968. Jose also designed the Seal for 
Texas Western College and modified it when the college changed its name 
to UTEP. He also designed the logo for the Western Heritage 
Association.
  Jose has been featured in books and periodicals such as his own 
``Risers Across the Centuries: Horsemen of the Spanish Borderlands'' 
(Texas Western Press, 1984) and ``Jose Cisneros: An Artist's Journey'' 
by John O. West (Texas Western Press, 1993). His artwork was recently 
collected in ``Borderlands--The Heritage of the Lower Rio Grande 
through the Art of Jose Cisneros'' by Felix D. Almaraz Jr., Hubert J. 
Miller, Tom Fort, and Rachel Freyman (Hidalgo County [Texas] Historical 
Society, 1998).
  Jose is a true El Pasoan and has dedicated his life and talents to 
preserving the Southwest. In return for the generosity of the El 
Pasoans who consider his work priceless, he donates many of his works 
to El Paso schools, churches, and charities.
  Jose Cisneros, believes that history is alive and beautiful, he says 
that he will continue to do the same thing he has done all his life--
paint horses until the day he dies.
  For his incredible talents and contributions to El Paso, I recognize 
and congratulate Jose Cisneros as a recent inductee of the El Paso 
Artists' Hall of Fame.

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