332: Borderly Part Three: Living the Line

In the first two episodes of Borderly, we explored the history, journalism, and lived realities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. In Episode 3, we turn to art as memory, resistance, and belonging. Host Mario Carrillo sits down with Patrick Gabaldon, an El Paso–born artist and public defender whose vibrant work reshapes how the border is seen, felt, and remembered. From cactus portraits and desert color palettes to murals at the El Paso airport, Patrick’s art challenges the flat, fear-driven narratives often attached to border cities. They talk about growing up on the border, leaving and finding their way back, and why El Paso’s art scene is one of the most powerful and underrated cultural forces in the country. Patrick shares family stories that blur history and folklore, reflects on how law and art intersect in his life, and explains why blooming brightly in a desert landscape is a political act. This episode is about place, pride, and the creative pulse of a city that refuses to be...