Arguably no other event perfectly encapsulates our community quite like Fiesta. The event unites San Antonio the way few others can – capturing our culture, our cuisine, our energy and our shared history.
Last year, for the first time, the San Antonio Area Foundation partnered with a local artist to design a unique Fiesta medal to help illustrate the connection between our work and our community. This year, the Area Foundation teamed up with local artist Ernesto Cuevas, Jr. for this year’s Fiesta medal.
Cuevas, 50, was born in Harlingen, in deep South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the child of migrant farm workers. For years, he and his family traveled the country, from Michigan to Ohio to Kentucky to Florida. They eventually settled in the Sunshine State, where Cuevas discovered his love of art.
“I got heavily involved in, in the Boys and Girls Club in Florida,” Cuevas said. “They were a big part of my academic development. I was like seven years old when they put me into an art competition … and I won. At that point it was like this was a skill you have and a talent you have, and we want to nurture it.”
In high school, his skills and talent blossomed, earning him entrance to Dartmouth University, where he studied studio art. After graduating, he began a career as a commercial artist but discovered his love of working with kids while taking part in a community arts program.
Moving to San Antonio in 2010, he began working with local groups like the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures and Fuerza Unida. Cuevas developed a local reputation as an artist in touch with the community. This helped him connect with the Area Foundation.
“Our team [at the Area Foundation] reached out asking for recommendations on artists for this year’s Fiesta medal and I recommended Ernesto,” said Julio Lopez, Area Foundation Program Officer of Youth Success. “[Cuevas] is someone that has worked with a lot of different organizations here in town. I think his art, his way of working with people and his overall commitment to community made him the right fit for this project.”
Ultimately, it’s more than just about the medal. It is about connecting with our community and the people we serve through partnerships, closing opportunity gaps and supporting local artists.
“Working with artists like Ernesto is important because it just gives us a little bit more of that kind of grassroots connection to things that are happening around our community … and it’s an opportunity to kind of share a little bit of the story of Fiesta,” Lopez noted.
Cuevas found the partnership with the Area Foundation to be a deep learning experience, working through various drafts after receiving feedback. He found a balance of incorporating his art style with the mission and vision of the Area Foundation and the history and culture of San Antonio.
“[My goal with this project] is showing the different areas of work that the Area Foundation exists in, and also images that represent San Antonio,” explained Cuevas. “We wanted to be really aware of making sure that the communities that [the Area Foundation] works with are represented in this design are communities that feel seen and heard and valued.”
