PROFESSIONAL BIO
Brandy González was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in drawing and a minor in sculpture from Southern Methodist University where she received the “Zelle Award” for outstanding artistic merit. After her undergrad, González taught art for eight years in the Texas public school system during which she completed her Master of Art Education from Texas Tech University graduating with a 4.0 GPA in 2013.
In 2016, she completed her Master of Fine Art also from Texas Tech University majoring in printmaking with a secondary in painting. While attending TTU she received the “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” award and the “Horn Professors Graduate Achievement” award for her work in social activism through the arts. González was also selected for the inaugural print fellowship in Lubbock at the Charles Adams Studio Project, a local printshop in the arts district. There she taught printmaking classes to the community and was the print shop technician.
González has been in an extensive amount of competitive national and international exhibitions. Her most recent competitive exhibition is the 33rd Annual Red Dot exhibition organized by Blue Star Contemporary Museum in San Antonio, Texas. She is also currently showing at Northwest Vista College in the Manzanillo exhibit space as part of an ongoing initiative to showcase local artists at the college level. You can also see her work in public spaces like the Oxbow Building by the Pearl, on the Kress building on the 300 block of W. Houston St. downtown, and in Poet’s Pointe Park. González is also in museum and university collections, national and international. One of the most notable being the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Illinois. She has also been the recipient of many awards and achievements. Most recently, the “Individual Artist Grant” awarded by the San Antonio Arts & Culture department and was also honored by receiving a “Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition” presented by the United States Congress in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community.
González was the art professor at Lassen College located in the beautiful rural town of Susanville in Northern California. The call of home and family brought her back to San Antonio in 2019 as they welcomed their first child. Currently, she is the proud mother of two, the advanced art teacher at Clark High School and an Adjunct Professor at Northwest Vista College for Painting 1 & 2.
MEET THE ARTIST
Growing up in the inner city of San Antonio gave me an enormous love, respect and appreciation of my Mexican culture.
I translate this connection to my roots by creating work that communicates some of my favorite things about the city like eating and sharing tacos and making tamales. I love highlighting imagery that’s important to me and the larger Mexican culture while using a bold composition with vibrant colors. Perhaps this is a way I want important parts of my culture to be remembered, showing love and tradition through the making and sharing of food. Although this is not the only subject matter I do, I am often drawn back to it. I mean who doesn’t love tacos? Am I right?!
My path to being an artist started with a challenge...
ARTIST STATEMENT
The growth of native-born citizens, Hispanics and Latinos now constitute the largest ethnic group in our society and accounts for more than half of the nation’s growth over the past decade. González’s work provides a currently under represented perspective within the art canon by showcasing Hispanic culture in various forms. A large part of her practice delves into the idea of tradition through the representation of specific foods like tamales and pan de polvo (Mexican cinnamon sugar cookies). She explores the annual process of making tamales and pan de polvo with her family. These recipes have been handed down for generations and are some of the last ties to the motherland. These images place the viewer in a personal space, allowing for an intimate view into the process. Aside from using her favorite foods, González also incorporates traditionally Hispanic imagery and language to make social political statements. While González explores tradition through the lens of food, she also follows another lens of tradition in America, racism. From stolen lands and family separation at the border, to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting people of color at much higher rates, González addresses these issues through her work. One of her favorite sayings is a Mexican proverb which states, “They tried to bury us, they did not know we were seeds.” This adage provokes a feeling of resilience, survival, and strength which is incorporated into her pieces. González’s work adds to the creative expression of the Hispanic imagination, touching on a visual culture that is integral to American art. With the use of bold imagery and saturated colors, her works seek to advance the value and representation of Xicanas within the mainstream narrative of American art. “My mission is to illuminate the unseen, to give voice to the silenced, and to celebrate the enduring spirit that courses through the veins of our heritage.”
I would love to hear any feedback, project proposals, offers for collaboration and any other inquiries you might have!
You can contact me through the form provided here and feel free to follow me on Instagram.
INSTAGRAM @GONZALEZORIGINAL
