Mendoza’s drawing shows two doves and a serpent protecting an abstract, embryo-like figure. A geometric aura emanates from the bundle of creatures, perhaps alluding to the way parents protect their children. The drawing is created using crosshatching and heavy use of geometric shapes; both of these techniques are characteristic of the work of Dr. John T. Biggers and his students.
Sifuentes shows multiple generations of a family, painted in a geometric style. Sifuentes borrows visual symbols from his teacher, Dr. Biggers, including the tortoise (longevity) and the serpent (danger and rebirth). Guardian ancestors are represented by figures with angel wings.
This painting by Jesse Sifuentes shows a landscape scene featuring cactuses. Several TSU art alumni have recalled that Dr. John Biggers taught them based on themes more than techniques. Many works from the 1970s use geometric styles, perhaps a reflection of lessons from the time. Sifuentes went on to become a ceramics professor at Texas Southern.
Jesse Sifuentes’ “Greater Hornbill” was created using the slab method, which was taught to students of Carroll Harris Simms. This method entails layering evenly rolled clay mixed with sand as artists build up their figures, working from the bottom layer to the top. Sifuentes frequently features hornbills, unique birds found in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, in his art.
This is an invitation from William Reaves - Sarah Foltz Fine Art gallery to the exhibition Protégés: The Legacy of John Biggers As Viewed Through the Artworks of Thirteen Students. The featured artists - Charles Criner, Geraldine Crossland, Karl E. Hall, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., Harvey Johnson, Earl S. Jones, Josie Mendoza Postel, Robert Meyers, Elizabeth Montgomery Shelton, Kermit Oliver, Jesse Sifuentes, Charles Thomas, and Roy Vinson Thomas - are all Texas Southern alumni and students of Dr. Biggers.
Texas Southern art alumni Jesse Sifuentes and Earl Jones are pictured in this photograph from the mid 1970s. They are seen here in the ceramics room of the John T. Biggers Art Center, seated in the trash cans where clay was stored. Sifuentes later went on to teach ceramics at Texas Southern University.
This is a brochure for Sifuentes’ senior art exhibition. The culmination of the Texas Southern art curriculum is a senior exhibition where students showcase artwork created over the course of their undergraduate studies. The brochure features a brief biography, a catalog of the artwork featured in the exhibition, and photos of two of his paintings and several of his ceramics. Sifuentes later returned to TSU to teach pottery, ceramics, and sculpture classes.
Sifuentes' painting shows a landscape filled with grass and a barren tree, with a bird perched atop. The tree bears human characteristics, perhaps symbolizing the interconnectedness of all living beings. This piece is painted in a geometric style that appears frequently in the work of students of Dr. John T. Biggers during the mid to late 1970s. Sifuentes later went on to become an art professor at Texas Southern.
Mendoza's painting depicts an expecting mother gazing into the distance and wearing a traditional Mexican rebozo. Rebozos can be used by pregnant women to support their bellies, as this woman appears to be doing. Mother and child is a prevalent theme in art by Texas Southern Art Department students, found in drawings, sculptures, murals, and paintings.
Sifuentes’ print shows a series of shotgun houses. The composition portrays Oleander Homes, a public housing complex in Galveston, Texas, the artist's hometown. The complex was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and was rebuilt and reopened in September 2024. Shotgun houses and urban environments are common settings for Texas Southern student artworks.
Hinojos' painting, "Pescador de Hombres," draws on Christian themes. The painting references the story of Jesus' miraculous feeding of the multiple with bread and fish, but also a symbolic representation of Christ as the "Bread of Life," a source of spiritual sustenance. Hinojos is a graduate of Texas Southern, accomplished airbrush artist, and founder of the Houston Art Center, an organization that aims to support artists in the Hobby area of Houston.
Sifuentes' print depicts the exterior of an old church. An adult and small child are seen entering the church, which lies at the end of a winding path. Chickens are seen pecking at the ground, lending a sense of place to this rural scene. Churches and other religious imagery appear frequently in the artwork of Texas Southern students. Sifuentes later went on to become an art professor at Texas Southern.
