Surrounded by several other families, Bhaswati and her daughter, Asmita Sinha, leaned into a large table, painting “hidden treasures only found in San Antonio,” a large mural that will be displayed at the San Antonio International Airport this fall.
They learned about Tuesday’s Community Paint Day at the Centro de Artes Gallery via Instagram and thought helping to paint the mural would be a fun way to spend time together while Asmita was home in Texas on her college’s summer break.
The painting they worked on will make up a portion of a pair of artworks that will be installed on movable panels on the walls near the baggage claim in Terminal A at the airport once it’s completed. One of the panels will be 8 feet by 20 feet long and another one will be 8 feet by 10 feet.
As the Sinha family painted and enjoyed spending time together, the artist commissioned by the City of San Antonio’s Arts and Culture department, Sandra Gonzalez, visited the three tables full of adults and children following instructions on paper that indicated which color to paint by numbers.
“I need an opportunity for some uninterrupted coloring,” said Bhaswati Sinha, who is a mixed media and paint artist herself. “I wanted to grab this opportunity to [do] some work that is put on a wall. That is a good thing for me.”
Gonzalez, who is leading the project, wore a headband and a black T-shirt with colorful paint splattered across it. She smiled as she helped children wield their paintbrushes and talked to participants about the colors she chose. An art teacher at Roosevelt High School, Gonzalez said her approach to art is to help the community through her passion.
After the event Tuesday, Gonzalez will finish the remainder of the mural in her studio.
Gonzalez was selected by community stakeholders from a city-selected list of pre-qualified professional artists, based on the theme and style of the mural. She stared with a concept design, that incorporated community feedback until a final design was achieved.
During the feedback sessions, participants said they wanted to see the hidden treasures of San Antonio with realistic and colorful painting. The mural will feature landmarks including the San Antonio River Walk, La Antorcha de la Amistad, Mission San José, the McNay Art Museum and the World’s Largest Cowboy Boots at North Star Mall.
Gonzalez has painted murals in Laredo, Corpus Christi, Uvalde and San Antonio. She is also known as the artist behind the mural at Tony G’s Soul Food on the East Side.
“We also have native plants and Mexican textiles. I wanted to represent our culture and Fiesta San Antonio because that’s a big part of the city,” Gonzalez said about the hidden treasures mural.
The public art project was funded by capital improvement projects from the city, said Krystal Jones, executive director of the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts and Culture, who also helped paint the mural at Community Paint Day.
The mural process started with a survey for residents and visitors at the airport, she said, where responses showed people wanted to see hidden treasures and cultural institutions highlighted in San Antonio.
“Murals are a very powerful tool to showcase different cultures and to showcase the voice from people that sometimes they don’t have the opportunity to be heard,” Gonzalez said. “I try my best to always have the community be involved … so they feel empowered.”
As the painting session went on, more and more people arrived and soon the room was full of local families and some who just stumbled across the event at Historic Market Square and wanted to join in, like Maria Arredondo, who was visiting from Ennis with her family and grandchildren.
Arredondo’s 5-year-old grandson was entertained by the paintbrush and colors. But the family had no idea their paintings would form part of a permanent mural at the airport. Shocked, Arredondo said the idea was unique and cool.
The best part of Tuesday’s activity was making memories as a family, but also “knowing that memory will live on” in the airport, Jones said. “When they go and visit the piece where it’s at, they’ll be able to say years from now, ‘I painted that.'”
