(Courtesy photo/SBCAD)
Special to the NEWS
Due to popular demand, the San Benito Cultural Arts Museum exhibit, “Freddy Fender: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Baldemar Huerta,” on loan from the Freddy Fender Estate, is being extended to its new closing date, Jan. 04, 2024.
The exhibit — curated by archivist Veronique Medrano in collaboration with the Freddy Fender Estate, alongside the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum Director, Aleida Garcia – is a multifaceted showcasing of memorabilia from across his musical genres and a love letter to his lasting impact and legacy that continues to inspire many.
The exhibit has brought many first-time visitors to the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum. According to Museum Administrative Assistant José Carlos, Jr., only “one month after its opening on September 26, the “Freddy Fender: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Baldemar Huerta” exhibit, has broken attendance records with over 400 recorded visitors from as far as the Midwestern United States,” said Carlos. As such, the City of San Benito Cultural Arts Department (CAD) is honored to extend the exhibit from its original closing date of Nov. 9, 2024, to its new closing date of Jan., 2024.
The City of San Benito CAD is confident that this opportunity will allow Freddy Fender fans, both recent and long-time alike, more time to sit with and appreciate Fender’s storied contributions to the sound of South Texas, Garcia said.
An official press release distributed at the onset of the exhibit in late September included statements from Evangelina and Maria Huerta, Fender’s wife and daughter respectively. “It’s been such an emotional but celebratory process over these years. He did so much for music, but also for everyone around him. On top of that, he endured so much in terms of what it took to become the first Mexican-American artist to break through across so many genres. I can’t say enough about how these artifacts of Freddy’s career have been cataloged, researched, and cared for– even going as far as to have missing artifacts returned to us, that his fans will now get to enjoy, “ stated Evangelina Huerta.
Maria continued the sentiment: “Dad was an icon, and I’m thankful that we, as a family, can launch this one-of-a-kind exhibit here, in the town he loved! It has meant the world to us that dad is being honored in such a thorough, yet heartfelt way.”
The San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum, located at 250 E. Heywood, San Benito, is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Fridays from 10 a.m. – p.m. Guided tours and in-person access are available until the exhibit closes on its extended date of January 04, 2024, and virtual-programming, such as video presentations, interviews, and virtual tours, are available through the museum’s social media platforms.
For more information on current and future programming created with this exhibit, contact the Museum at (956) 658-8493, or follow the CAD on Facebook @sanbenitoCULTURALARTS and on Instagram @sb_cultural_arts.
For more information on the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum, visit: https://www.cityofsanbenito.com/249/Cultural-Arts-Department.
1 comment
Poor San Benny…all they have is Freddy and a town full of welfare recipients and punk drug dealers on every street corner..,the BIGGEST BARRIO in Cameron County.