NEISD teacher creates unique work of art for San Antonio Missions

When the school bell rings, Roosevelt High School art teacher Sandra Gonzalez goes from one project to the next.

This is Gonzalez’s first year at Roosevelt but she has been an educator for seven years, previously teaching in other cities across Texas.

Sitting on a table in her classroom is one portion of Gonzalez’s latest piece of art.

It is part of a mural that stretches 8 feet by 20 feet and will soon be installed in San Antonio Missions Historical Park. 

“They chose me to do this mural for Mission San José which is a really great honor because this year is the 300-year anniversary, so I feel that’s very meaningful for the people here in the city,” Gonzalez explained.

Gonzalez has been painting almost all of her life and has created murals in Laredo, Corpus Christi and now at Mission San José.

“I love to reflect in Mexican-American culture in our region,” she added.

Gonzalez was one of five local artists selected to create murals for the city as part of the non-profit art organization @LuminariaSA 2020 Placemaking Program.

Her mural features bright colors, native plants of the region, the mission’s iconic rose window and even a familiar face.

“I decided to include a portrait of my grandmother to represent the indigenous people that were part of Mission San José. She’s holding a baby to represent the future generations and just the cycle of life,” Gonzalez said.

This high school teacher doesn’t have to look far to share her passion with the next generation of artists either.

“I always go back to my own experiences and how it made me feel when I took art in high school. I always felt like I was surrounded in a very positive environment so that’s what I that’s what I want to offer to my students now,” she explained.

Gonzalez also said she wants each and every student to have the freedom to come to her classroom and be safe, comfortable and creative. 

She hopes to create a new mural on her Roosevelt classroom wall with her students in the future.

For now, her current mural will be officially unveiled in November during a virtual ceremony. 

“I like that I’m a full-time educator but I’m also very active in the art community so that’s what I want to show my students. Sometimes I know it can be scary to choose art as a career, but I wanted to show that yes, it is doable and it is possible. You just have to work hard like anything else, but you can make a successful career in art if you want it.”

To learn more about Visual Arts in North East ISD, click here: https://www.neisd.net/Page/687

Because #NEISDcares!