‘Seeds of Wonder’ finds a new home.
The Jessica Gonzales mural, created for the Arizona Wonder House at the 2022 South by Southwest, will inspire students, staff and faculty in the Mission Integration Lab, a new research facility at the University of Arizona Tech Park at The Bridges.
Gonzales (BFA ’12, 2D Art) posted on her Instagram account, “I could not be happier about her new home. She fits in perfectly with the space and intention of the lab and is showcased so beautifully.”
The canvas and acrylic mural exemplify people’s yearning to look to the skies for inspiration and is about harnessing passions and following dreams. The color palette represents stunning Arizona sunsets and celebrates the beauty of the desert as well as the stargazing-friendly night skies.
The Mission Integration Lab – a University Research, Innovation and Impact building – will allow researchers and engineers to build and test hardware for balloon-borne astronomy experiments and missions. Balloon-borne astronomy fills an important gap between ground-based observatories and space telescopes, allowing for the deployment of telescopes and other instruments to altitudes where they experience less interference from Earth’s atmosphere.
The Mission Integration Lab has a tall, hangar-like “high bay,” where researchers and students can work on instruments, telescopes and high-altitude balloon technology. The new facility will provide additional space to grow balloon-based astronomy research programs and partnerships for students, faculty, federal agencies and corporations.
The painting of the mural began in early 2020 in Centennial Hall. She continued the process live in Austin for SXSW and fully completed the mural in the lab in December.
AZPM: Jessica Gonzales’ ‘The Muralist’
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