It is the start of Hispanic Heritage month and all this month we want to honor and highlight the contributions of the Latino community here in Houston.
One artist, many may not know her name, broke barriers for Hispanic artists during a time of deep segregation in Houston.
Her name is Theonis Contreras, born in Houston’s 6th ward in 1913.
She worked closely with Houston’s first modern artist and founder of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.
Contreras’ work is still displayed in Houston today.
“What makes her so great that to me she was an aunt and my last memory of her was when I was 6 years old and she took me on a bus to go downtown to watch the movie Cinderella. We had no idea of what her history was, we had no idea she had studied under the most famous modern artist in the city of Houston,” said David Contreras, the chair of Harris County Hispanic Cultural Heritage Commission.
“She helped paint this mural that was a government project right after the depression and that is still there at the Ideson building and Emma Richardson Cherry actually painted a portrait of her,” said Contreras.
“She assisted Emma Richardson Cherry as a professional partner by painting the intricate floral designs of the murals that are still housed at the Ideson building at the Downtown library,” added Contreras.
“In 1934 she was the first Latina and person of Mexican descent recorded in major Texas art reference to ever work formally juried and exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and she had work exhibited in 1935 and 1937,” added Contreras.
“I think she should be remembered because she accomplished the American dream and they assimilated at a time that was very difficult to do so. I think it’s an untold story that needs to be recognized because it is American history,” said Contreras.
You can check out the work of Theonis Contreras at the Julia Ideson building at the Downtown Houston Library.
David Contreras says he hopes her story will instill civic pride and show current and future generations of Latinos, that they have deep foundational roots here in Houston.
