By Edmond Ortiz
Methodist Healthcare will have two local artists to paint large-scale murals on the exterior of a near-downtown hospital that is undergoing renovations and improvements.
What is happening
Officials with Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan chose artists Sandra Gonzalez and Malachy McKinney to create murals that will adorn a new, 969-space parking garage, which will open this fall.
Selected from an open call to artists, Gonzalez and McKinney are a local muralist duo who have created large-scale works across Texas statewide since 2016, sometimes inviting members of the public to help paint their murals at community events, a news release stated.
According to the release, Gonzalez is an art teacher at Roosevelt High School; McKinney is a graphic designer who has more than 15 years worth of artistic creations to his resume.
What they are saying
Representatives with Methodist Healthcare said Gonzalez and McKinney will create murals that reflect themes of healing through compassion and highlight the hospital’s function as “a light in the community.”
“We were drawn to this project because it centers on healing, care and human connection,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “We believe murals can create uplifting spaces that reflect and support the communities around them, and we’re honored to contribute artwork to a place that serves so many people in San Antonio.”
The murals and parking garage are part of an ongoing $200 million project at the 50-plus-year-old Tobin Hill neighborhood hospital that includes physical expansion designed to yield more space for medical/surgical and ICU beds, and additional operating rooms.
The construction project includes the new parking garage. According to Methodist Healthcare, detailed mural concepts and community painting opportunities will be shared as the project moves forward.
“The parking garage will add 969 spaces to our campus, allowing us to better serve the community,” Greg Seiler, CEO of Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan, said in a statement.
“It was important to us that the new structure didn’t just serve a functional purpose, but a healing one, too. Many people arrive here facing uncertainty, and we want the first thing they see on our campus to be a message of hope, compassion and care.”
