Temple to the Future Gets Down

Today, March 31, 2012, the Saddleblankets building at 601 N. Oregon St. will be well on its way to demolition and evolve as a space. Originally the site of Saint Mary’s Church, 601 N. Oregon St. is being demolished to be reborn as Artspace El Paso—a mixed use live/work space. These set of photos represent the culmination of a space, 601 N. Oregon St. aka the Saddleblankets building becoming Temple to the Future—a site of creativity, hope and expression on the border; where the future is always arriving on time…

Artspace El Paso link: artspaceep.com | fb: ArtspaceElPasoLofts

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***Temple to the Future ***

The Temple to the Future is a public art project that is inspired by the social issues related to the drug wars and the segregation between the sister cities of Juarez, MX and El Paso, TX. This project intends to look positively towards the future of our region, to give the community a different perspective on how we view ourselves and the world around us, and to inspire others to take another look at the vibrancy of our cities.

Over two dozen artists from both sides of the border donated their time, materials and ideas to make art on a city-owned abandoned structure that stood near the heart of downtown El Paso which was set for demolition, The Saddleblankets Building. Over the six day process, two stationary cameras took photos every 60 seconds, and a small crew created a short film documenting and educating people about the significance of the project and the context of the Juarez-El Paso bi-national region. Even though the building will one day be gone, our message will continue to spread.

The Temple to the Future was organized by The El Paso Transnational Trolley Project in collaboration with Ltl Monster and Fusion Magazine.

Special thanks to the City of El Paso, The Downtown Management District, and the Art Center of El Paso.