Alex Rubio, Blue Star Contemporary MOSAIC Artist-in-Residence
El Legado De Nuestra Jornada
The Legacy of Our Journey
2018
Acrylic on Polytab
12 x 60'
Collection of the Historic Outdoor Art Museum, New Braunfels, TX
MOSAIC Mural Assistants:
Laura Gonzalez
Rachel Kamata
Zoe Reyes
Elizabeth Samuel
MOSAIC Mural Crew:
Historical Context
This public mural, commissioned by The Historic Outdoor Art Museum in New Braunfels, is a timeline of Hispanic heritage dating from the 1680’s to 1845.
The legacy begins with the Spanish Expeditions along the Camino Real (King’s Highway) and the various Spanish explorers like General Alonso de Leon, the Conquistador of Texas, who named the Guadalupe River in his “entrada” into Texas. For more than 100 years before the founding of New Braunfels, the Camino Real, present-day Nacogdoches Road, served as a major artery for trade, commerce, and settlement. The Comal Springs’ first recorded name was Las Fontanas, meaning The Fountains, which also served as a campsite to the Tonkawa and Lipan Indians. In 1756 – 1759, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Mission was established nearby and was inspired by the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe… La Patrona de las Americas. After the Spanish introduced cattle and horses to the New World, the Mexican vaqueros’ (cowboys) ranch culture was brought to South Texas with chaperras (chaps), rodear (rodeo), silver mounted spade bits, spurs, and branding. In 1825, Juan Martin Del Carmen Veramendi was awarded five leagues of land by Commissioner Jose Antonio Navarro. Two leagues of the grant contained the land on which New Braunfels was founded. In 1845, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels purchased 1,265 acres from Juan Veramendi’s heirs, Rafael Garza and Mario Antonio de Veramendi Garza. This passionate beginning set the stage for the Hispanic people to enter into the founding years of New Braunfels from 1845 to present day – forever preserving and honoring Hispanic Heritage in this community.
Information courtesy the Contemporary (formerly BSC)
Making the Mural: March 20, 2017 - May 3, 2018
I joined the MOSAIC program at the end of middle school. In Early 2017, Rubio asked me if I wanted to become a Mural Assistant on the yet-to-be-named “The Legacy of Our Journey,” I jumped at the chance. It was a significant commitment, and the project lasted one year. Three times a week after school, I went to the MOSAIC studio downtown, painting away into the evening. When summer arrived, the team spent more time at the studio. We had fun, and it never felt like work. School started again, and the Mural was dedicated on May 3rd, 2018.
The timeline for this project was long for several reasons. The first is that the Mural is enormous—720 square feet. At times, the crew was doing balancing exercises to navigate between drying panels on the ground and people painting new ones on the walls. The second is that the level of detail and unique painting style required to have a signature “Rubio” look was challenging and time-consuming for everyone who was not Rubio…aka me and the other assistants. As time passed, we got faster, but with each brush stroke, we asked if that stroke was in the spirit of Rubio’s style. Compared to other types of murals, like those without blending (only solid colors) or hyperreal (where the result matters more than how you get there as long as it looks okay), this required a significant departure from our painting practices and hobbies.
The most significant factor, however, was the limited time each student and Rubio had to work on the Mural in a given week. At the time, and looking back, it felt like I spent all day working, arriving home after the sun had set, and doing the same the following week. I only spent about 3-4 hours a day (averaging summer and school year), but during the school year, those extra three hours (not including travel time) made for a very long day. It also meant that no one was working full-time on the Mural. Concurrently with the Mural’s production in the MOSAIC studio, all the assistants and other MOSAIC students produced their personal work separate from the mural project. Rubio, as the Student Mentor, was also responsible for guiding the individual works and giving instruction.
Most public murals don’t take a year to complete after the design is approved, but I am grateful that the museum chose to support our student program. Working on the Mural was a valuable learning experience, and I made lasting friendships and memories.
The MOSAIC Program
This mural was organized through The Contemporary at Blue Star’s MOSAIC Student Artist Program. The Artist in Residence, Alex Rubio, designed the mural, and several students in the program became paid mural assistants. The Mural was made in the MOSAIC studio in San Antonio, Texas.
The Contemporary at Blue Star’s MOSAIC Student Artist Program is open to high school students who are interested in developing their professional artistic skills and careers in the arts. The free after-school program is a combination of studio practice and exposure to the business side of art and arts administration. MOSAIC Visiting Artists mentor students in a diverse range of art mediums in an intensive, independent study format. The MOSAIC Student Art Gallery features student exhibitions, drawing hundreds of visitors and adds to San Antonio’s vibrant and rich visual culture.
