Awarded Inaugural Grant from DOCOMOMO, Sonya Sehgal (MSHP) Amplifies the Legendary San Antonio Artist Ethel Wilson Harris
Sehgal is an emerging conservation professional in the Masters of Science in Historic Preservation program. A ceramicist, craft scholar, and preservationist, Sehgal is interested in documenting and recording the often-overlooked contributions women have made to the built environment with a focus on materials conservation, specifically glazed tiles and architectural ceramics. Sehgal’s cultural stewardship also extends beyond the University of Texas: she teaches young students about the importance of cultural identity and community development with the YWCA of Greater Austin and consults with Humanities Texas.
Combining her love for ceramics and amplifying accomplishments of female artisans, Sonya Sehgal’s thesis project focuses on best practices to preserve historic tiles at the Ethel Wilson Harris House in San Antonio, Texas—Sehgal’s hometown. Born in 1893 in Sabinal, Texas, Ethel Wilson Harris was a celebrated artist and advocate of the San Antonio Missions and traditional Mexican ceramic crafts, exhibiting her pottery and painted tile pieces at both the Chicago and New York World’s Fairs. Her often-public works offer spectacular examples of traditional Mexican methods of tile production that depict significant moments in regional history. Sehgal marvels at “the way Ethel is able to capture what culture looked like at a point in time, what the imaginary was, what an American experience was in San Antonio. In the future, we'll be gone, but her tiles will still exist.”
Harris was a champion conservationist in her own right, serving as the president of the San Antonio Conservation Society, the co-founder of Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA), and, notably, she was the technical supervisor of the Arts and Crafts Division of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) in San Antonio in 1939. This was an important year for the WPA in Texas, offering critical funding for the initial construction of the San Antonio River Walk’s network of approximately 17,000 feet of walkways, twenty bridges, and extensive plantings, all in the effort of reducing risks of recurring flooding and offering improved public greenspace.
Ethel Wilson Harris’ creative and conservation practices were meaningfully symbiotic. From 1938 to 1963, she served as the first park manager (Texas’ first female park ranger) of her most beloved mission: the Mission San José, where she also sold ceramics to visitors and resided with her four children until the construction of her residence onsite in 1956. Located immediately adjacent to the Mission San José Complex and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, the Ethel Wilson Harris House was designed by her son Robert. The residence is a 2,000-sqare-foot, two-story home with a remarkably modern stone, frame, and concrete construction, including six rooms arranged in a square plan. Her iconic ceramic tile work in preserved in the kitchen, living room, and entryway.
Informed by her uniquely personal connection to her MSHP thesis focus, Sonya Sehgal’s research plays an important role in telling the story of San Antonio and the vibrant traditions of Mexican ceramic craft. She aims to assess and ensure preservation best practices for this historic house that holds some of Harris’ most precious ceramic tile works.
Docomomo offered a key step in her research and preservation skill building: the chance to gain hands-on archaeological ceramic preservation experience through The San Gemini Preservation Studies Institute in Italy in partnership with West Virginia University. Read on to join in on our recent conversation with Sehgal about her research and the recent grant award:
How has the Docomomo grant supported your research?
Through Docomomo’s Theodore Prudon Education Fund Grant, I was able to attend a conservation course in Italy that focused on the analysis and restoration of archeological ceramics. The course took place in San Gemini, a small medieval town in the Italian mountainside. There are several conservation courses running concurrently, including courses in ceramics, building restoration, and even book or paper restoration. The program provides students not only with the opportunity to learn about the history of technology and material production, but also with the opportunity to gain hand-on experience restoring archeological artifacts. Through the course, I gained knowledge about different methods for restoring ceramics that will guide the treatments I propose for the Ethel Wilson Harris site.
Tell us more about your relationship to Ethel Wilson Harris’ work and ceramics as a medium.
I grew up in the colorful streets of San Antonio, which heavily draw from Spanish-colonial influences and has a strong history with architectural ceramics. Every time I walk down the riverwalk, I'm able to admire the work of local craftsman, particularly the work completed under Ethel Wilson Harris's leadership of the Arts and Crafts division of the Works Progress Administration. She was a champion of preservation and much of San Antonio's historical legacy was preserved by her efforts. People from all over the world who visit San Antonio are able to connect to San Antonio's history through the murals completed under her supervision.
My personal relationship to ceramics began in 2020. During the pandemic and the increase in remote work, I needed an outlet that didn't involve digital technology: a reason to look away from my screens. It was an intentional effort to explore an art form that felt older than history. I took a variety of classes at local studios in Austin that informed my understanding of the craft from wheel throwing to surface design and glazing.
Another important factor is my academic background in Women and Gender studies from the University of Texas with a particular interest in how women have contributed to the built environment—a study often overlooked in the study of architecture. When I was constructing my thesis topic, I was interested in combining these disparate interests of mine: San Antonio, architectural ceramics, and gender and craft histories, and Ethel Wilson Harris's legacy was the perfect vehicle for this study.
How is central Texas special for your work, and how does UTSOA and its institutional resources support it?
Central Texas is teeming with historic resources from different cultures and eras of history. It's amazing to see how cultural building practices are, especially in historic buildings where cultural truths are exposed in how bricks are laid or how dwellings are decorated. And as time goes on, you can see how these cultural histories and emerging technologies inspire new architectural forms. It is amazing to study preservation in an area with such a vast array of architectural styles and building methods. Of course, I wouldn't be aware of how diverse building practices in Texas are without the countless site visits and hands-on preservation work we are exposed to in the Historic Preservation program at UTSOA. Further, it is amazing to be supported by faculty with connections to preservationists in every corner of the US—if there is an expert I need to be connected to, the faculty here knows a contact or two. UT has provided me with a strong community of preservationists to support my research and push my investigations to include new and experimental methods. The backing of such a large research institution opens many doors for emerging conservation professionals to expand their research and connect with preservationists all over the country.
How can the preservation and conservation field involve future generations?
Preservation and conservation are invisible fields that many people interact with every day without realizing it. Whether it's visiting museums, historic downtown centers, or even visiting a coffee shop or boutique that has been renovated from a historic building—people interact with conservation work everyday without realizing it. While many are familiar with National Register plaques that adorn most historic buildings, many don't consider how the plaque got there or how the historic site is still standing. I believe we can involve future generations in this endeavor by reaching them when they are young. Classes often visit historic sites on field trips, whether it is a house museum or the state capitol. It is on these visits that students should learn not only the history of the site, but the history of its recovery and preservation. Further, creating more volunteer opportunities in the field of preservation is a good way to involve the broader community. Historically, preservation work was done by a whole village of artisans. Look at Taos, New Mexico: the site is regularly preserved and maintained by a whole community of people who live in the area or travelers who are interested in learning about earthen architecture. Community involvement and education is the best means of involving future generations in preservation work.
