With only 84 days until the beginning of UTEP’s Centennial Celebration, Government Employees Credit Union’s participation continues beyond the grand unveiling of the Welcome Center. GECU has now initiated an event called the Pickaxe Celebration, where 12 esteemed local artists were selected–from Juarez, El Paso and Las Cruces–to produce special commemorative artwork. These artists and their work will be showcased to the community of El Paso.

The artists’ challenge will be to cover a blank canvas–shaped like a pick–into pieces of art. Artists will get a chance to share a memory, a story or a movement that invokes UTEP’s 100 years of existence.

The following artists were selected for this showcase:

Lyuba Titovets, Margarita Cabrera, Willie Ray Parish and his wife Becky Hendrick, Francisco Delgado, Gabriel Gaytan, Jesus “Cimi” Alvarado, Candy Mayer, Jeff Litchfield and Linda Hains.

Alumni with bachelor of fine arts degrees from UTEP, Suzi Davidoff and Anna Jacquez, will also take part in the challenge, along with senior studio art major Fabian Uribe.

“It’s an honor for me to be represented by my school and to be showcased in UTEP’s Centennial,” Uribe said. “It is definitely one of the highlights of my career.”

The 12 pickaxes will be auctioned off in 2014 as part of UTEP’s Centennial Celebration and to raise money for the R.C. Morgan Scholarship Fund, which will benefit UTEP students.

Andrea Acosta may be reached at [email protected]