Master of Fine Arts 2020
Artist

Degrees:
2020 MFA, Painting
University of Dallas, Irving, TX

2018 MA, Painting
University of Dallas, Irving, TX

2007 BFA, Painting
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX

Artist Website:
https://michellecgonzales.com/ 

Michelle Cortez Gonzales is a Fort Worth based multidisciplinary artist who creates sewn-textile paintings, sculptures, and installations. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Texas at Arlington, and her Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Dallas. She has exhibited in various solo and group shows including Anya Tish Gallery (Houston, TX), Umbrella Gallery (Dallas, TX) and Presa House Gallery (San Antonio, TX). Michelle was featured in Visit Fort Worth’s 2021 series of “Women Worth Meeting”, and has been awarded residencies from Cuttyhunk Artist Residency, Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts (2021), and with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art as a 2021 Community Artist. Her work has been written about in publications including the Dallas Morning News, Glasstire, Fort Worth Magazine and Maake Magazine. Recently, Michelle was selected for the 2022 Texas Vignette and as a recipient of the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts: Challenge America Grant from the Dallas District Colleges. In addition to her studio practice, Michelle works as a public art project manager with Arts Fort Worth.   

Michelle’s work explores the personal and emotional consequences of cultural loss as a third-generation Mexican American. Working with her hands becomes an important meditative exercise that allows her to connect to tradition, her ancestors, and healing. In this way, she not only pays homage to her cultural roots, but also seeks to communicate a tender message of cultural strength and permission to be soft. Michelle’s decision in layering and blending imagery, materials and sensory experiences aims to evoke reflection in which the viewer can consider their own history and place.