Creativity and space exploration recently became a unique opportunity for area art students and educators. 

 The Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) held its annual conference in Galveston in November, attracting nearly 3,000 educators, administrators, and artists. The theme was “Cosmic Connections: SPACE, the Last Frontier, and the Element of Art.”

 In addition to NASA exhibiting, the conference featured three murals that have since been added to the art collection in NASA’s Johnson Space Center Building 4 South in Houston. 

 “We have seen our astronauts bring the art of painting, music, photography, and more to orbit aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station,” said Gary Johnson, NASA’s International Space Station Mission Integration and Operations Office technical manager.

 “Our mission is to inspire the next generation of artists and explorers to capture the beauty of space through any medium they choose.” 

 A series of art installations began on-site at NASA in 2022 when Johnson and Raul Tijerina, International Space Station Program Building Graphics Lead, began collaborating with Texas high school art programs to create space-themed murals for display at the center.

 About one year ago, the team approached Joan White Finn, District Visual Arts Liaison at Texas City ISD, to ask if the students in her district would be interested in creating a collaborative work to display on-site at NASA. Friendswood and Dickinson High Schools had already contributed to the project. Finn organized the Galveston conference.

 

 Finn accepted and suggested the creation of three different works with the assistance of Cheryl Evans, a long-time friend and educational director for the Watercolor Art Society - Houston. Finn and Evans share an infectious enthusiasm for the arts and sharing their knowledge with others. 

 “We met with NASA on Zoom every Tuesday for three months about the future of space,” says Finn. 

 With the newfound knowledge and appreciation gained in these meetings, La Marque students and teachers brainstormed ideas for the murals. The students were encouraged to take initiative with the project, and each had roles such as project manager and artistic director. 

 “I had 25 different kids working on the NASA project after school and on weekends,” shares Finn, who has also been with the Galveston Arts Center since 1990. 

“Cheryl was with us for four days and did the initial drawings. She taught them about developing artistic statements. She’s one of the greatest educators of all time.” 

 “The Moon Now” is a collaged effort of three schools featuring images of two astronauts wearing Axiom space suits. NASA designed these suits for use during future missions to the moon. The painted suits incorporate mirrored visors so viewers of the artwork can envision themselves in the suits. 

 “We wanted to emphasize that anyone could go to the moon,” explained Finn.

 Students from Blocker Middle School in Texas City and Giles Middle School in La Marque created individual eight-by-ten-inch paintings depicting the Milky Way and other astronomical features. These paintings were then applied to the surface of the larger art piece the La Marque High School students created. 

 The La Marque students and their mentors conceived and executed the second mural. This mural depicts the interconnected roles of visionaries, engineers, artists, and astronauts in space exploration. The leading figures are four children contemplating space. 

 

 “We decided from the start that it was vital to stress the ideas of collaboration and moving into the future,” Evans explained. “Those kids represent the bigger idea: the visionary, the artist-designer, the engineer, and the explorer.” 

 Evans did a photo shoot with four younger students. She and the students looked at the pictures and decided how to use them in the mural. 

 “I did the initial drawing, and the kids had a lot of input. Then, we looked at many images from NASA to incorporate. The students have such good hearts, and they work so hard.” 

 Building the surface for the piece was an engineering feat. The mural is comprised of 10 separate canvases bolted together, representing the space station assembled piece by piece over more than 40 missions.

 “A friend had donated the four-by-four-foot canvas panels, and other people donated a variety of sizes,” relates Evans. “I figured out the arrangement by organizing them in my driveway, and once the piece was completed, it was transported to Johnson Space Center in sections.” 

 Reginald C. Adams, the artist who created Galveston’s “Absolute Equality” mural downtown on The Strand, learned about the NASA project when he was the keynote speaker for the TAEA conference and asked to be involved. Adams had previously worked with students in Finn’s programs to create the mandalas that now appear on the Galveston mural. 

 His work “Absolute Equality: Breaking Boundaries,” depicting two figures with a shared space helmet, symbolizes humanity’s shared future in interplanetary exploration. This became the third installation of the collaboration. 

 After the works were installed, the students and teachers involved in the project were invited to the Johnson Space Center to see them and enjoy a behind-the-scenes NASA tour.

 Johnson and Tijerina hosted the group, as did Christian Getteau, an Imagery Integration and Multimedia producer with the Human Space Flight Integration Contract. Gordon “Gordy” Andrews, a strategic communications specialist for the International Space Station Program, rounded out the team of hosts.

 The visitors were treated to up-close visits to the simulators and the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, which was conducting operations at the time. 

 The art projects enhanced the work environment for Johnson Space Center employees and provided a unique learning experience for the students.

 “I just want to sing the praises of the people at NASA,” says Evans, “and the fact that they are willing to involve these schools and how gracious and supportive they were of the kids.” 

 “Everyone has a place at NASA,” added Tijerina. “This collaboration celebrates the diversity of talents needed to explore the universe, including those who bring ideas to life through art.”