“Mother of Six Goes Back To School” - Daily Universe
Artist Statement
Crystal Gonzalez Callison’s work grows from questions of memory, absence and presence, identity, motherhood, and heritage. She began creating art in her mid 30’s as a way to process her experiences, particularly grief and loss, following her father’s passing. As a Mexican American, daughter of immigrants, and mother, she creates art that reflects the cultural disconnect she experiences, visually depicting the contrast between what has been lost and what has been preserved. Through different mediums, she focuses on memory, grief, and preserving what matters.
About
Crystal Gonzalez Callison (b. 1988) is a Utah-based interdisciplinary artist and mother of six, including children with disabilities. Born and raised in Texas, Crystal’s creative journey began early, exploring art and music as forms of expression. Despite losing access to formal art classes after fifth grade, she continued to nurture her creativity, learning from her father while helping him build their home.
As a mother, Crystal introduced art as a form of therapy and creative expression for her children. In her mid-30s, inspired by her daughter’s interest in art and artists featured on BYUtv’s Artful, she began pursuing her own artistic practice to process grief, particularly following her father’s passing.
Crystal is currently working toward her BFA at BYU, where her work emerges from questions of memory, absence and presence, identity, motherhood, and heritage. As a Mexican American, daughter of immigrants, and mother, she creates art that reflects the cultural disconnect she experiences, visually depicting the contrast between what has been lost and what has been preserved. Through different mediums, she focuses on memory, grief, and preserving what matters.
Her work has been featured at the UVU Museum of Art at Lakemont, the Springville Museum, the Ramble Gallery, Covey Center for The Arts, Bountiful Davis Art Center, JKR Gallery, and various student exhibitions. She received first place in the 2024 Minerva Teichert Award for Creative Work competition, has been featured in Exponent II, and interviewed by the Daily Universe. Her work will also appear in the 2025 AWE (A Women’s Experience) magazine and on the cover of Mormon Barrio: Latinx Belonging in the Church of Latter Day Saints by Sujey Vega.
Crystal continues to experiment across mediums, using her art to share personal stories and explore how memory shapes identity, heritage, family, motherhood, and emotion.
CV.
Education
2026 BFA, Brigham Young University
2024 Communications Minor, Brigham Young University
2023 Social Media Marketing Certificate, Ensign College
2022 AA, Dallas College
Select Group Exhibitions
2025 Student Art Showcase, The Fourth Annual Art at The Park, Salt Lake City, UT
Inseparably Connected: Our Relationship with Heaven, Earth, and Each Other, Orem Library, Orem, UT
Business Card Art Show, JKR Gallery, Provo, UT
Statewide Emerging Artists’ Annual Exhibition, Bountiful Davis Art Center, Bountiful, UT
Summer Art Showcase, Provo City Library, Provo, UT
Summer Art Showcase, The Covey Center for Arts, Provo, UT
HONORING MINERVA, Ramble Gallery, Bountiful, UT
I AM NOT AFRAID OF STORMS, Utah Women in Art 2025, JKR Gallery, Provo, UT
Time Is of the Essence, Gallery 1050, Provo, UT
Annual Student Exhibition, Weight Room Gallery, Provo, UT
PowHerful, The Compass Gallery, Provo, UT
The House Show 2.0, Weight Room Gallery, Provo, UT
2024 When Worlds Collide, Provo, UT
38th Annual Spiritual and Religious Art Show, Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT
2024 Business Card Art Show, JKR Gallery, Provo, UT
Annual Student Exhibition, Weight Room Gallery, Provo, UT
2023 Art of Belonging Exhibition, UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount, Orem, UT
Awards & Honors
2025 First Place, Video, Emerging Artists Annual Exhibition, Bountiful Davis Art Center, 2025
Honorable Mention, Emerging Artists Annual Exhibition, Bountiful Davis Art Center, 2025
BIPOC Artist Scholarship, Exponent II
Utah Somos Foundation Scholarship, Utah Somos Foundation
Open Studios Award, BYU Art Department, April 2025
Talent Award, BYU Art Department, February 2025
2024 Open Studios Award, BYU Art Department, December 2024
Open Studios Award, BYU Art Department, April 2024
First Place Minerva Teichert Award for Creative Work, (1st Place), BYU Global Women's Studies and the College of Fine Arts and Communications, Provo, UT
Talent Award, BYU Art Department, February 2024
2023 Open Studios Award, BYU Art Department, December 2023
Press
Bray, Elsa. “Mother of Six Goes Back To School.” Daily Universe. January 31, 2025. https://universe.byu.edu/campus/mom-of-six-goes-back-to-school
Jayswal, Palak. "After four years, this mansion turned museum opens to the public." The Salt Lake Tribune. May 12, 2023.
https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2023/05/12/uvu-turns-an-orem-mansion-into-an/
Publications
2026 Commissioned Cover Art (Upcoming) Mormon Barrio: Latinx Belonging in the Church of Latter Day
Saints, by Sujey Vega, New York University Press.
Artist Feature, AWE (A Woman’s Experience), April 2025 (Upcoming)
2025 Artist Feature, Exponent II, Vol. 44, No. 4, Spring
2024 Artwork Featured in Exponent II, Vol. 44, No. 1, Summer