Bold statement: Art at NASA’s Johnson Space Center isn’t just decoration—it’s a visible pledge that imagination fuels humanity’s push to the stars. This collection of student-created murals transforms select walls into vibrant stories of creativity, collaboration, and exploration, commemorating 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Originating in 2022, the ISS Program Mural Project seeks to brighten workspaces while linking classrooms to NASA’s mission. Deputy Associate Administrator Joel Montalbano underscores the idea: today’s dreams become tomorrow’s realities, and the future of space exploration hinges on the imagination of young people.
As NASA gears up for the Artemis program and the next giant leap, the wall art reminds viewers that every mission starts with bold ideas and courageous effort. The initiative invites the next generation to Dare | Unite | Explore, recognizing that art, while open to interpretation, mirrors the teamwork, planning, and problem-solving that underlie human spaceflight.
The latest mural, “Dream Big,” resides in the hallway to the ISS Program suite on the fifth floor of Building 1. Texas City High School students, in collaboration with the ISS Program Mission Integration and Operations team, created a grayscale image of a child drawing back a curtain to reveal rockets, astronauts, and radiant planetary landscapes. The design merges classic and contemporary influences; students drew inspiration from Van Gogh’s impressionism and Banksy’s Behind the Curtain, weaving movement and curiosity to illustrate how imagination unlocks exploration.
Texas City High School art teacher Jennifer Massie reflects on the project, noting that the National Art Honor Society chose the theme “Where Creativity Meets Reality” to convey how a child’s inventive mind persists and evolves, and how with big dreams and perseverance, young people can follow in the footsteps of their heroes.
What started as a collaboration between Gary Johnson, ISS Mission Integration and Operations Office technical manager, and Raul Tijerina, then the program’s building graphics lead, has grown into a gallery-scale program that connects science with creativity.
Johnson says the aim is to give students a distinctive opportunity to contribute to NASA’s legacy through their art. The murals demonstrate that every mission begins with imagination and that the next generation of explorers is already helping shape humanity’s future among the stars.
Two murals now hang in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory’s International Space Development Integration Laboratory (SDIL). The first, “Dream Explore Discover,” by Friendswood High School students, was initially displayed in Building 4 South. Guided by art teacher Mandy Harris, over 30 students designed and painted the 8-by-18-foot piece, beginning with sketches and brainstorming sessions that explored how to reflect human space exploration visually. The final design fuses ideas into a single composition celebrating discovery’s beauty and excitement—featuring an astronaut’s visor reflecting the Houston skyline, zinnias symbolizing life and science beyond Earth, and a small floating teddy bear representing both the dreams of children who gaze at the stars and the generations of explorers who carried mementos from home into space.
The mural also depicts NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launching with the Orion spacecraft atop, heading toward a bold leap in exploration, while the Orion constellation in the sky symbolizes how the stars continue guiding humanity toward the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Another SDIL-hosted piece, “The Moon Now,” was created by students from La Marque High School, Blocker Middle School, and Giles Middle School. This mural shows two astronauts on the lunar surface wearing Axiom spacesuits with mirrored visors reflecting the faces of the next generation who will return humanity to the Moon. Individual student artworks—depicting the Milky Way and other celestial features—are collaged into a tapestry that embodies imagination and exploration.
Other murals reside in Building 4 South at Johnson. In 2023, Dickinson High School joined the project, producing “A Starry Night,” which blends Renaissance-style painting with contemporary space imagery. Art teacher Jennifer Sumrall notes that student involvement blossomed as they researched how each NASA mission impacts the world.
Other notable works include Reginald C. Adams’s “Absolute Equality: Breaking Boundaries,” a Houston-born piece illustrating unity through two figures sharing a single helmet, framed by circuitry-inspired patterns that highlight technology’s role in linking people across the globe and beyond. La Marque High School’s students contributed “Collaboration,” created with art teacher Joan Finn and artist Cheryl Evans. This 10-canvas piece, bolted together to echo the station’s multi-mission assembly, celebrates the collaboration of visionaries, engineers, artists, and astronauts, and features the station patch at the bottom to honor the partnership of 15 nations.
NASA Johnson recognizes Joel Montalbano for championing student engagement that connects classrooms to mission work during his ISS Program leadership. The center also celebrates Gary Johnson for conceiving the mural project and guiding early partnerships, Raul Tijerina for initial design leadership, Gordon Andrews for opening doors through behind-the-scenes tours, and the dedicated art educators who mentored the students as each mural came to life.
Would you call this kind of art a catalyst for STEM inspiration, or do you see it as a separate avenue that strengthens science outreach? Share your thoughts on how public art at scientific institutions should balance aesthetic, education, and mission goals.
