A Moment Lost to Time: The World Heritage Missions Collection

The definitive artistic record of a city is rarely created by committee; a single artist captures it with the foresight to see what is about to be lost forever. Created in 2015, the World Heritage Missions Collection is San Antonio’s “Eugène Atget” moment—a final, perfect view of our shared heritage at the precise, unrepeatable moment of their UNESCO induction, before being irrevocably changed by renovations and the rebuilding of Alamo Plaza. It is not just a collection of art; it is a cultural time capsule.

A Project Born from a Legacy of Proven Foresight

The creation of the Missions Collection was not an accident, but another step in a multi-decade pattern of visionary foresight. From designing FAA-certified manufacturing systems years ahead of the market to creating monumental industrial art that anticipated global art trends, Kevin G. Saunders has consistently demonstrated an intuition for capturing moments of pivotal change. This track record proves he is not merely an artist but a unique innovator whose work is positioned for major national recognition.

The Five Missions:
A Hyperrealistic Mosaic

Each work in this collection is a technical masterpiece, a digital composite of up to 100 individual, high-resolution images captured with classic lighting and a process focused on capturing a fleeting emotional truth. The result is a work with the gravitas of a master painting, revealing details and a sense of scale that a single photograph cannot achieve. Just as Michelangelo distorted figures to tell a visual story, Saunders uses different artistic projections—rectilinear for the Alamo and cylindrical for the others—best to convey the unique character of each sacred space.

The Five Missions

Forged Against the Headwinds

Unlike the great documentary projects of the past, which were backed by government grants, the Missions Collection was undertaken at personal and financial risk. It was an act of artistic conviction, created during a small window of opportunity after the July UNESCO announcement and before the October Inscription Ceremony. This dedication to capturing the historic moment required months of daily visits to the Missions to find the perfect light and a painstaking post-production process of combining hundreds of images into massive, breathtaking mosaics.

Becoming a Steward of San Antonio’s Heritage

This collection offers two distinct opportunities for patrons to secure a permanent legacy and champion a cornerstone of our city’s cultural brand. Each path is designed for a different level of strategic impact.

Path 1: The Institutional Patron – Acquiring a Limited Edition Set

For the corporation, institution, or individual seeking to make a lasting statement of commitment to San Antonio’s heritage, acquiring a museum-grade set of the five Missions is the premier choice. Sets are available in three limited-edition scales: Grand Scale ($500,000), Public Scale ($200,000), and Private Scale ($60,000). Each patron receives a magnificent 40″ x 66″ framed commemorative art piece that documents their contribution.

To provide complete transparency and detail for this opportunity, please review the complete project archives:

Path 2: The Civic Patron – The Grand Acquisition (The Solon’s Council)

The “Solon’s Council” is a concept for a visionary group of patrons dedicated to stewarding the cultural legacy of San Antonio. It was born from an epiphany the artist had while creating a 50-foot cityscape of New York City: that a community’s future is shaped by leaders who unite around a common goal and a powerful, unifying symbol. In a world where communities can fracture from a lack of vision, the Missions Collection was created to be that unifying symbol for our city.

This is the ultimate legacy opportunity for a syndicate or a single major patron to acquire the entire historical archive—including all physical prints, intellectual property, and future royalty rights. To fully understand this unparalleled opportunity to shape the cultural landscape of Texas, please review the detailed prospectus.

Begin the Conversation

I have safeguarded this collection since 2015, driven by the conviction that it is more than just art—it is a unifying symbol of our shared 300-year heritage. My role as the artist—the “Shaman”—was to capture this unrepeatable moment in time. The next chapter of its story, however, belongs to the patrons and stewards who will carry it into the future. This is an invitation to begin a personal conversation, a “Golden Handshake” to explore how we can partner to ensure this cornerstone of San Antonio’s legacy is celebrated for generations to come.