HOUSTON – Graffiti artist and native Houstonian Mario E. Figueroa, akaGonzo247, has created countless murals around the city including the “Houston Is” mural in downtown.
On Thursday, alumni and campus community from the University of St. Thomas gathered alongside friends and neighbors at the school for the first-ever mural reveal party.
The crowd got a chance to witness the unveiling of Gonzo247’s newest mural and meet the graffiti street artist.
According to a news release, the university gave Gonzo247 creative freedom that would marry his “history as a graffiti street artist and muralist, and combine that with the University’s legacy and the direction it is going in.”
The artist said he is honored to have been able to paint a mural of the school’s namesake, St. Thomas Aquinas.
“I pulled elements from the school to put in the mural and the labyrinth next to the University Chapel became the halo of the saint,” Gonzo247 said. “I decided Houston was going to be the base of the mural because we are here in the city and the skyline would come up from behind the city because we are in the shadow of downtown. The saint would come up from behind the buildings. The colors in the mural represent the diversity of the city and the campus.”
Eventgoers also got to enjoy hot dogs from James Coney Island, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, music and free Gonzo247 t-shirts.