Brandy González

Brandy González was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. González 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. She then taught art for eight years in the public-school system during which she completed her Master’s of Art Education from Texas Tech University graduating with a 4.0 gpa in 2013. In May 2016, she completed her Master’s 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 numerous competitive national and international exhibitions. One of her most recent competitive exhibitions is the 33^rd Annual Red Dot Art Sale at the Blue Star Contemporary. This exhibition showcases artwork made by local artists and is organized as the biggest fundraiser of the year.

You can also see her work publicly in downtown San Antonio on the Kress building and inside the Oxbow building in the Historic Pearl. Most recently, her work will be installed at “Poet’s Point”, a pocket park in the 78228-zip code also in San Antonio. González is 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 numerous awards and achievements.

González was the art professor at Lassen College located in the beautiful rural town of Susanville in Northern California. She and her husband have moved back home to San Antonio, Texas to be closer to family as they welcomed their second child June 2022. Currently, she is the advanced art teacher at Clark High School and an Adjunct Professor at Northwest Vista College for Painting 1 & 2.

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 current COVID-19 pandemic affecting people of color at much higher rates, González addresses the through line of white supremacy. 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.

TX