{"id":534583,"date":"2026-07-05T18:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/534583\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:47:14","slug":"el-paso-sign-painters-honored-in-new-museum-exhibit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/534583\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso sign painters honored in new museum exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anne Giangiulio moved to the Borderland in 2004 to teach graphic arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. One of her strongest memories from that time was the abundance of hand-painted signs on businesses around the city, especially around Segundo Barrio.<\/p>\n

Giangiulio, a native of Philadelphia, immediately fell in love with the signs, but questioned why they would still be used given available technology. She quickly learned that the signs that often combine words, numbers and images are a cultural connection to Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe visual language struck me,\u201d she said about her efforts to promote the work of these overlooked artists through interviews, an upcoming book and \u201cEl Otro Muralismo: Historical and Contemporary Sign Painting in El Paso and Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez,\u201d an exhibit that opens July 11 at the El Paso Museum of History, 510 N. Santa Fe St.<\/p>\n

Giangiulio, an associate professor of art, is a fan of vernacular signage. She calls it a type of folk art that exudes soul and purity. She sees the beauty and elegance in simple brushstrokes, and a uniquely El Paso mindset of confident artists willing to experiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can literally see that in the signs when I look at them, and that got me really excited,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Giangiulio stands beneath a hand-painted sign on South El Paso Street, June 15, 2026. (Corrie Boudreaux\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

While intrigued by the sign work, other projects kept her from focusing on sign painting until last year. A book she found about sign painters led to her suggesting a small exhibit at the history museum. Officials agreed with the concept, but they wanted something bigger.<\/p>\n

Her research into the topic came at the same time that there was a request of proposals from UTEP Press last October. Giangiulio submitted her idea and the publisher approved it two months later.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRotulistas: Sign Painters of El Paso,\u201d will be the first book she authors. A university colleague suggested she contact UTEP\u2019s Institute for Oral History to help with the interview process.<\/p>\n

During a recent tour of streets in Segundo Barrio, Giangiulio got excited about the different hand-painted signs she saw and would shoot photos with her cell phone camera. She commented on the artists\u2019 choices of colors, the use of shadows, contrasts and asterisks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like Shangri-La,\u201d she said, comparing her findings to an earthly paradise.<\/p>\n

Giangiulio has interviewed about nine artists so far and she expects to speak with at least another five for her book, which should be published next year. She divides the interviewees into two categories: old guard and legacies. They include Sergio Chavez and Monica Chavarria.<\/p>\n

\"\"Artist and retired sign painter Sergio Chavez holds a sign he made for The El Paso Chile Co., one of his bigger clients. Chavez\u2019s life and artwork will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the El Paso Museum of History, alongside pieces from other regional creators. (Luis Torres\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

Chavez, 85, is an old guard. He started painting signs for his father\u2019s company after he graduated from El Paso High School in 1959. Most of his work consisted of lettering for businesses on their walls or the sides of their trucks. He started his own business, Sign Painting Co., in 1972.<\/p>\n

When asked what he liked about his trade, the eyes of the West-Central resident got big.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cI found out you could make a lot of money with one little can of paint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sign painters, or \u201cwall dogs,\u201d earned from $7,000 to $11,000 a year in the 1960s in El Paso. In 2026 dollars, that equals $73,000 to about $116,000. He said he was able to raise a family on his earnings.<\/p>\n

While the money was good, he admitted to also liking the creative aspects of the work, whether in what was painted or how to make the project better, easier or less expensive. He said computers were the game changers. They extended the professional lives of many sign painters, especially those with failing vision.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou needed to keep up with the times,\u201d said Chavez, who retired in 2016. \u201cYou\u2019d fall behind if you rejected (computers).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The work of sign painter Joe Parra often can be found on the front of Food King supermarkets such as this one at 9120 Dyer St. (Daniel Perez\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

Chavarria, 26, is a legacy artist. She is an El Paso native who grew up in Amarillo and earned a degree in media video production in 2020 before returning to her hometown where she also does freelance design and videography work.<\/p>\n

She will be one of the exhibit\u2019s featured artists. Hers is supposed to be the first painted sign exhibit patrons will see. The concept is still being finalized, but it will be in the rotulista style, which is a vibrant, traditional style of hand-painted street advertising found in Mexico.<\/p>\n

The young artist said she became familiar with the style while visiting family in Chihuahua City, Mexico. She saw it on buses, posters and storefronts. The work fascinated her. She did not realize how prevalent it was in El Paso until she moved back.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sign painter artist Monica Chavarria said she became familiar with the rotulista style of painting during family trips to Chihuahua City, Mexico. (Courtesy of Monica Chavarria)<\/p>\n

She is a self-taught sign painter who designed a traditional-style font for her projects, which usually focus on words using vivid colors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI use bright pink a lot because it is so vibrant,\u201d Chavarria said during a telephone interview. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the main reasons I love this style because of how vibrant it is. It\u2019s very inviting. I just love how alive it feels.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work done by the likes of Chavez and Chavarria lend to the Borderland\u2019s visual landscape, said Erica Marin, director of the El Paso Museum of History. She said interest in sign painters has been trending up for the past 10 years, so she was thrilled when Giangiulio suggested the exhibit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting painting genre,\u201d Marin said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Pepe Fashion on South El Paso Street is an example of the use of pink colors that are frequently used in hand-painted signs in Mexico, June 15, 2026. (Corrie Boudreaux\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

Quetzaly Segovia, the museum curator, said the exhibit will include a variety of contemporary works of the featured artists from El Paso and Ju\u00e1rez, and a historical component. She added that there will be scheduled programs while the exhibit is up to include a panel discussion with participating artists.<\/p>\n

Giangiulio said one of her favorite exhibit sets will be the \u201ckitchen,\u201d a re-creation of an artist\u2019s studio to include drafting boards, cloth bundles filled with chalk or charcoal powder, and empty coffee and hominy cans filled with paints, brushes and other tools.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll look like a disaster, but it\u2019s where all the amazing stuff comes from,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m excited about all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Artist Sergio Luis Chavez demonstrates the traditional darkroom technique used to create a positive image\u2014rather than a photographic negative\u2014and shows how the drawing is projected onto an emulsion\u2011coated screen as part of the screen\u2011printing process commonly used in signage and commercial advertising. (Luis Torres \/ El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

Yolanda Leyva, who ended her tenure as director of UTEP\u2019s Institute of Oral History in June, said she was happy to add the stories of El Paso\u2019s sign painters to the collection, and was glad that the exhibit would incorporate the interviews at listening stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt adds a lot to hear someone\u2019s voice,\u201d said Leyva, a UTEP professor of history.<\/p>\n

She praised the project for its creativity and for highlighting the importance of the sign painters\u2019 voices as artists and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone before has thought to get the stories of these talented people,\u201d Leyva said. \u201cI think (the exhibit) is going to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Members of the Chavez family have worked as rotulistas, or sign painters, since at least the 1950s. (Corrie Boudreaux\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

Giangiulio and Marin mentioned how these artists are craftsmen who often work in anonymity. Both hope the exhibit, which closes July 11, 2027, will change that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much talent, so much variety of style just within this city,\u201d Giangiulio said. \u201cThese folks are so talented and still doing it everywhere, but flying under the radar.\u201d<\/p>\n

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