A partnership between the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation and SAISD's visual arts department created a larger-than-life opportunity for students to showcase their artistic talent in a unique and impressive way.
Middle and high school students were selected to create works of art that were digitized and projected onto the walls of Mission San Jose over the weekend during “Restored by Light.” The occasion marked the city’s annual celebration of the World Heritage Festival.
Students like Emily Rodriguez, a 10th grader at Young Women’s Leadership Academy, participated in the art showcase. Her career goal is to become a cardiologist. The inspiration for her work that depicted the sun juxtaposed with the moon came from her very own family.
“This piece is a representation of my relationship with my grandmother,” she said. “She always tells me that she loves me ‘to the moon – and back.’ I wanted to make a piece that shows and honors my connection to her.”
The family-friendly environment at Mission San Jose welcomed community members to enjoy picnics, activities, and entertainment. At dark, the façade of the mission transformed into a canvas for the artwork to be viewed using projection technology illumination.
Attendees like Deirdre Murphy said the showcase was an uplifting moment.
“I was amazed at the extreme talent of people so young able to express their passions and interests in a piece of art meant to reflect more than 300 years of history here in San Antonio,” Murphy said. “As a non-native but longtime resident, I am always moved by the pride that San Antonians feel for their city and its rich history. Friday's event did just that - demonstrated that ‘orgullo’ – pride!”
More than 50 students from 15 SAISD schools were represented at Restored by Light.
“This event allowed the public to see what our students treasure in the community, and how they feel about their lives in general. Art does this for us, using images as language when and where words fail,” said Laura Schultz, SAISD visual arts coordinator. “I continue to
be humbled by the young, fresh spirits of our students, their enormous talent, and the stories they want to tell.”
Fine arts students are always creating and perfecting their craft. Among a few of the upcoming opportunities for them to show the community a reflection of themselves includes the SAISD Cybersecurity poster contest, the San Antonio Fire Department poster contest, ArtPace’s Chalk It Up! Event, and the Region 20 annual high school Art Exhibit. In addition, several campuses will be working on activities and events for Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, 2021. Below are some of the Restored by Light artwork created by SAISD students.
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