Michelle Cortez Gonzales is a Fort Worth based interdisciplinary artist who creates sewn-textile paintings, and installations. She earned her BFA in painting from the University of Texas at Arlington, and her MFA in painting from the University of Dallas. Her work has been featured in Maake Magazine and exhibited in various galleries throughout Texas including Anya Tish Gallery (Houston, TX), and Presa House Gallery (San Antonio, TX). Cortez Gonzales was showcased in Visit Fort Worth’s 2021 series of “Women Worth Meeting”, and awarded residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, VT (2024), Cuttyhunk Artist Residency, MA (2021), and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art as a 2021 Community Artist. She was a recipient of the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts: Challenge America Grant from the Dallas District Colleges. In addition to her studio practice, Cortez Gonzales works as a public art project manager with Arts Fort Worth.

Statement

My work explores the space between two and three dimensionality, fine art and craft, private and public space, loss and recovery. I create within the tension of opposing ideas to reference the liminal state of not completely belonging to one thing or another, but also not wanting to let either go. My work is concerned with themes that relate to identity, fragmented memory, and the lasting ramifications of cultural loss due to assimilation.

I often combine painting with found materials associated with home life including textiles, furniture, picture frames. As a third generation Mexican American raised in Texas, my cultural experiences were portrayed through silent actions within the home. Working with my hands allows me to create a connection to my past and preserve the actions that draw me back to my family and my culture. This symbolic gesture communicates a message of tenderness and comfort to my present self.