KTSW Loves: “To Whom It May Concern” TXST Art Exhibit

By Jissela Cabrera

Co-Assistant Director of Community Relations

With a mission to open conversation and collaboration through points of connection, “To Whom It May Concern” was a student-led exhibition that brought together a variety of artists who presented their work in various forms of media, inspired by their identities and the stories they chose to tell.

This Texas State Art and Design group exhibition was held on May 7, 2026, at Splash Coworking, featuring 10 artists and their work, created and cultivated through their unique perspectives.

I first heard about this event when I found a small, printed flyer placed throughout many tables at Alkek Library. At the exhibit, I had the privilege of speaking to six of the 10 artists about their art displays and the inspiration behind them.

Matthew Muñoz, a Mexican American multidisciplinary artist, employs sculpture to depict organic human forms with a grotesque and surreal aesthetic.

When asked about his piece, “Torso,” he explained that he explored his Mexican American heritage by delving into the practical aspects of working with terracotta clay.

“The whole idea behind this was kind of playing around with asking the question of what happens when clay is left with its own devices,” Muñoz said. “So that means, instead of the artist molding the clay, what happens when the clay is left to its own?”

He explained that, as the sculpture is left outdoors, it will eventually weather and transform, much like human bodies, with the clay returning to the Earth, completing a cyclical process of transformation.

Amie Johnson, a senior studio art major, primarily uses paint as her medium. Her work draws inspiration from her own life experiences and explores themes of memory, humor and pop culture references.

She said her pieces “Don’t Call Me, I’m at the Club” and “Espresso Martini” were inspired by her experience of recently turning 21 and experiencing nightlife around San Marcos and San Antonio.

“I was just fascinated by the decorations of these places, and so I wanted to capture that and put it on a canvas,” Johnson said.

“So, this is my recreation of that, and basically a telling of like memories that I make, and things that I’m able to experience now that I’ve grown up a bit.”

I found myself really enjoying both pieces, not only because I related to recently turning 21, but also because of the variety of bright colors used and the thick texture of each painting.

Angelina Rodriquez is a multidisciplinary artist who reflects her Mexican American identity through her paintings, drawings, and printmaking, as she examines her own emotions through variations of technique.

When discussing her paintings, she explained that they depict the intricate relationships she has with her parents.

She specifically mentioned that “Underneath an Eternity of the Infinite” represents the complex dynamic between her and her father, while her other painting, “A Mother’s Still Life,” represents the stereotype of Hispanic mothers favoring their sons over their daughters.

She said her upbringing as a military child, as well as going through family archives, has significantly influenced her idealization of her father from a young age.

“Every time I would see my father, I would always catch him sleeping, and growing up, you don’t really see that kind of aspect of how much harder your parents suffer and continue to sacrifice for you, and I always idealized that for my father,” Rodriguez said.

“I wanted to dissect that from my father, and so this is an artwork featuring that and also featuring his time in the military and suffering from PTSD.”

She explained that the tiger symbolizes his spirit animal, which is currently a tiger tattoo on his back, as the tattoo represents strength, and that her father always considered a tiger his spiritual guide.

Although the tattoo isn’t visible in the painting because the photo that inspired it was taken before the tattoo was done, the tiger in the painting serves as a warning about his past mistakes and a reminder to strive for improvement.

I really enjoyed hearing about the stories behind her paintings because I related to her background, as I am also a Hispanic, military child who has experienced complex relationships in my upbringing.

Sarah Swinford, a studio art major specializing in printmaking and sculpture, said her inspirations stem from her Chiapanecas-Texan heritage.

“My family is from Chiapas in southern Mexico, and so I love to use that kind of imagery to pay homage, tell my family members that I love them, that I’m thinking about them, even when they’re far away,” Swinford said.

“So, I repeat a lot of patterns and a lot of really vibrant colors that make me feel like I’m at home, even when I’m away from home.”

She said she enjoys media that involve a lot of processes, like printing and sculpture making, as they require numerous steps, which sets them apart from painting and drawing. This complexity allows her to contemplate the reasons behind each step of her creations.

Suzette Corona is a queer Mexican American artist based in Austin, Texas, studying photography at Texas State.

They said their work explores the nature of family space and time, as well as gender, identity, and culture, using experimental methods like photomontage.

“I was just kind of wanting to do something different with my work, kind of experiment,” Corona said. “So, I decided to do a collage, kind of mix my photos as well as family photos, and see that progression through time and also growth, and that’s kind of what I dive into with space.”

Fernando Gomez is a multidisciplinary artist studying studio art with a concentration in ceramics. He displayed a variety of artwork, including a video titled “Grounded,” a ceramic piece titled “The Right Hand of Those Before Me” and an oil on canvas painting titled “La Llorona”.

When asked about the inspiration behind his abstract piece “La Llorona”, he said he was heavily inspired by artist Cy Twombly, and that this piece is another type of variation of the La Llorona folklore and songs.

“I was inspired by his use of multiple instruments to create work– oil sticks, pencils or graphite, oil paint and some color pencils as well,” Gomez said.

“I took this three-by-four-foot canvas, doing an under painting, taking an easel and all the tools and instruments that he used and took it to a local coffee shop in San Antonio…and I had people grab tools and start marking up my canvas. So, then I went ahead and took it from there.”

I was really intrigued by all of the abstract elements of this piece and found the story behind this painting and the reason for the title overall interesting and entertaining.

Overall, this exhibit served its purpose in sharing different forms of media and artworks that explore connections between art and perspectives. I found it a common theme between many of the artists and their pieces of how their culture, heritage and background influence different forms of art, allowing them to share different stories through them.

As someone who has never been to an art exhibit before this one, I would recommend going to an art exhibit because you never know what beautiful pieces you’ll see or the amazing stories you can hear from local artists.

To learn more about the “To Whom It May Concern” art exhibit and each of the artists featured (as well as their handles to purchase some of these paintings), visit their Instagram @to.whom.it.may.concern.2026