FAR WEST TEXAS—This weekend, the El Paso Community Foundation is hosting a celebration of life for the Far West Texas artist James Magee, who passed away in September 2024. The jam-packed weekend of programming will take place at sites across the city of El Paso and at the Hill, his mysterious off-grid masterwork located in the desert outside of Cornudas. Friends and family of Magee will be in attendance, but the events are open to all who appreciate his work.
Magee was a singular talent whose work falls into broad categories of painting, poetry and sculpture—though it defies neat and tidy description. He produced paintings under the name Annabel Livermore, which have since found homes in private collections across the world and the chapel at the University Medical Center of El Paso. Much of his life in Far West Texas was spent working on the Hill, a series of four structures in a remote corner of Hudspeth County that combine sculpture, architecture, music and poetry to otherworldly effect.
On Friday, the foundation will host a welcome reception at 333 North Oregon Street in El Paso. Appetizers and drinks will be served, as well as ample opportunities to connect with “friends, family and admirers of Jim,” per the organization’s website.
On Saturday, participants will hit the road for a memorial at the Hill. Visitors may sign up for a chartered bus from downtown El Paso to the site, or they can make the trip themselves and meet at a staging area near the base of the road to the Hill. Guests will begin gathering at 1 p.m. for a silent 1.36 mile walk to the site. Nameless Sound will perform at 2:30 p.m., and Magee’s ashes will be scattered in a ceremony at 3:15 p.m.
On Sunday, the celebration will shift back to the city, hosted at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can continue their pilgrimage at their own place through places beloved and frequented by Magee, including Café Mayapan (2000 Texas Avenue), Museo Livermore (3915 E Yandell), and his studio at 1916 Myrtle Avenue.
For more information—including how to book a space on the bus to the Hill or make a donation to the El Paso Community Foundation— visit epcf.org/magee. (Please also note that the Hill is in a remote location and that memorial attendees should come prepared for a day spent outside in the desert.)