The El Paso Federal Courthouse is finally open after many delays. Not only does the architecture of the building play off the desert skyline of West Texas, but the art inside is representative of the color changing horizon.
El Paso-raised artist Leo Villareal - known for his work with wall-mounted, multicolored LEDs - was commissioned to create Sky, a digital mural that hangs in the lobby and randomly and smoothly changes hues and color to suggest the passing clouds or sunrise of the city he grew up in. 
Villareal currently lives in New York City with his wife Yvonne Force Villareal, but they make it back regularly to their home in Marfa. Yvonne was instrumental in the Prada Marfa permanent installation in Valentine, Texas and is a regular fixture in Vogue due to her impeccable style and work with the Art Production Fund, a non-profit she founded. 
Above is a Villareal on the side of the Tampa Museum of Art, which is similar to the piece in El Paso although not as big. Of Sky he says "Having grown up in El Paso and nearby Ciudad Juarez, the vastness of the 'Big Sky Country' has played a significant role in forming my vision. This artwork presents something universal that everyone can understand and feel. An emotional connection to and with the sky is eternal and ever changing, reflecting on the notion of deep time." Just one more reason to make it to EP.
Happy to see this here, my cousin is married to the grandson of the late Judge Albert Armendariz Sr, who the courthouse was named after. I didn't know it was going to have this installation. Will have to check it out the next time we head west.
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