River Pierce Foundation Announces Retirement of Executive Director Christopher Rincon

San Ygnacio, Texas (July 8, 2025) –– Christopher Rincon has tendered his resignation of his position as the Executive Director of the River Pierce Foundation effective June 30, 2025.

After thirty years at the River Pierce Foundation, Executive Director Christopher Rincon has retired to focus on the Michael Tracy Foundation and other creative endeavors.

Founding Artistic Director Michael Tracy (1943-2024) launched River Pierce Foundation in 1990 to give back to a community which solaced him before his international acclaim. The inaugural event was a Via Crucis Procession along the Rio Grande, led by a wagon transporting Tracy’s sculpture, stopping at stations commissioned from artists including Tomas Glassford, Eloy Tarcisio, and Eugenia Vargas. The sculpture was floated into the Rio Grande and immolated in what is known as “Sacrifice II: The River Pierce.” Since 1990 the foundation’s programs ranged from art classes and heritage camps for local youth to the preservation of some of San Ygnacio’s important historic architecture including the Treviño-Uribe Rancho, San Ygnacio’s oldest building and one of a handful of National Historic Landmarks on the Texas/Mexico border. The town plaza was enhanced by trees donated through River Pierce and commemorative benches sponsored by residents.

Rincon joined River Pierce in 1995 as Artist in Residence teaching at A. L. Benavides Elementary School in San Ygnacio. His role as director was administrative support for Tracy, whose vision shaped programs. Rincon enjoyed acting as community liaison with families involved with the summer heritage camp and volunteers from the area who provided invaluable program assistance. His portfolio encompassed artist residencies, poetry readings, film screenings, colloquia and other events related to the Rio Grande, local history, and the natural environment.

Rincon contributed substantially to the creation and implementation of grants awarded by the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Texas Historical Commission, National Park Service, and El Camino Real de Los Tejas National Trail. In 2024, the Mellon Foundation awarded the River Pierce Foundation a two-year grant through its “Humanities in Place” program to expand programming to include the history of San Ygnacio’s indigenous people as well as administrative support. His work with anthropologists and the Carrizo Comecudo tribe implementing that grant was a personal milestone in his long engagement with the unique history of San Ygnacio, riverside site of many cultures.

“Michael Tracy and I did pretty much everything together. Many saw us as opposite sides of the same coin. This signals a new era in River Pierce Foundation's future,” said Rincon, who retired one year after the death of founding artist Tracy. Charles Adams, River Pierce Foundation board president, said “We are grateful to Chris for his dedication to the mission of River Pierce and his passion for both the place and the programs. We wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”

The Board of Directors of the River Pierce Foundation has initiated a search for a new executive director.

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