Building Cultural Exchange and Honoring Women Artists: UIW Welcomes Local Artists Kathy and Lionel Sosa

On Tuesday, March 18, UIW had the privilege of welcoming San Antonio artists Kathy and Lionel Sosa to the Broadway Campus to discuss their recently released documentary Al Otro Lado del Espejo, which explores the significance of San Antonio's missions, and the relationship shared between San Antonio and the city of Querétaro, Mexico.

Many students, faculty and community members gathered in the Mabee Library auditorium for the presentation led by Dr. Rafael Hoyle, director of UIW’s Lewis Center of the Americas. Students and members of UIW’s Mexico campuses also joined the event virtually.

“It really is such a privilege and a pleasure to be here with Kathy and Lionel Sosa,” opened Hoyle, before leading the evening's conversation.

The presentation opened with the Sosas’ explanation of what inspired them to create their documentary. Wanting to find a cooler location to escape the harsh summer heat, the Sosas discovered Querétaro and instantly fell in love with the city on their first visit. So much so, that they invested in owning a residence in the city.

While visiting churches in the area, they learned that Franciscans from Querétaro historically contributed towards establishing the missions of San Antonio. As proud San Antonio residents, they were shocked by this information, and even more shocked that it isn’t common knowledge within the San Antonio community. Feeling that it would be wonderful to share this untold history with their community, they decided to develop a documentary. During development, they decided to incorporate their passion for art by showcasing how 500 years of art have been influenced between the communities of north San Antonio and south Querétaro.

Thus, they coordinated an art show with the Querétaro Museum of Art/Museo de Arte de Querétaro to showcase the works of artists that were featured in their documentary.

“It was suggested to us that we bring a bunch of Latino artists from San Antonio and do a big show out in Querétaro to start some cultural exchange,” recalled Lionel. We got students from seven universities and other institutions of higher learning in Querétaro to be involved in this art show. During the opening of the show, the mayor of Querétaro attended, along with 250 people from San Antonio and about another 200-300 from Querétaro.”

The Sosas also worked alongside Dr. Jennifer Speed, historian and assistant vice president for Research Development at Texas State University, to ensure that as they developed their documentary and other related works they were accurately reflecting the past and present connections found between the woven history of San Antonio and Querétaro.

In addition to their efforts creating cultural connections and exchange, Kathy wanted to specifically spotlight the influence of Texas and Mexican women artists. Both Sosa and Speed, alongside other contributors, published their book Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico to do just that.

“If there's anything you take away from this talk today, let it be if you don't write your story down and tell your story publicly, it will be as if it never happened,” noted Kathy. “So, we were bound and determined to write a book about women and their influence.”

The evening concluded with a reception where attendees got to converse with the Sosas directly about their work and careers, simultaneously expanding collective knowledge and local connections within the Incarnate Word family.