Houston Artist Collaborates with Blue Origin

Edgar Medina Combines Art and Science To Create A Painting That Took A Trip To Space

Edgar Medina, a Houston abstract artist, partnered with Blue Origin on a unique project to connect Art and Science. The collaboration titled “Mission Art” was a unique experience that sent a unique work of art into space aboard a recent Blue Origin launch. This past weekend Medina traveled to San Francisco to reassemble the artwork in a live painting exhibit at the Media Art Xploration (MAX) Space Festival.

Earlier this year the Houston abstract artist, Edgar Medina, was approached with a unique opportunity to create an art experience that would make a journey into space. Partnering with Blue Origin in their race to providing access to space for all, his art traveled aboard the recent New Shepard suborbital vehicle launch and safe return in West Texas.

In planning the “Mission Art” project, Medina explored inspirations from his local city of Houston and its connectivity to the long history of space exploration. Through his planning, he knew that he wanted to involve his volunteer work at the local children’s hospitals. Working with Children’s Memorial Herman Hospital, one Saturday in February he spent the morning painting with patients of the hospital. This work would be the first step in the project and the strips of canvas that Medina created with the children were sealed into a small metal box, and ready for their space journey.

On May 2nd, 2019 Blue Origin performed another test launch of its New Shepard system.  Launching from the company’s West Texas facility, the rocket with Medina’s art aboard launched 65 miles above ground to break into the boundary of space. While high above Earth, space will play its hand in the art as the payload was subject to capsule movement, atmospheric pressure and micro-gravity freedom. The art continued to evolve as the capsule re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and successfully landed 10 minutes later.

For the final step in “Mission Art,” Medina traveled to the MAX 2019 Space Festival in San Francisco, May 16-19, 2019. Representing the connectivity of Art and Science, Medina retrieved the art from space and incorporated the canvas strips into a final work of art in a live painting experience at the closing night of the festival. The art was auctioned off in support of future MAX events.

Learn more about Edgar’s Live Event Paintings here.