What goes around …
ArtStreet exhibit features recycled, mixed-media works
Unfurl the wings and let the unicorn soar. This year’s ArtStreet at Harwood exhibition features a collaborative winged steed in the center’s front gallery, reworked into a Pegasus from an old rocking horse.
The piece is one of about
100 featuring recycled and mixed-media art by the artists of ArtStreet, a program of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless.
“The studio is open to everybody,” the Harwood’s GuruAmrit Khalsa said. “Typically, they’ve experienced homelessness at one time or another. They get the materials there.
“There’s landscapes, there’s portraits, there’s ceramic work, there’s abstract work,” she added. “It’s whatever they want to make.”
The exhibit will span two of the Harwood’s gallery spaces as the hallways spill over with artist’s booths. Most of the work is for sale, with prices ranging from about $25 to $500.
Albert Rosales’ “Peaceful Solitude” depicts a snowy river of ice in acrylic and spray paint.
“He’s a muralist,” coordinator Mindy Grossberg said. “He’s all around the city. He’s been coming here for 10 years or so. When he comes in, people are awed by his work.”
Chris Jacob created his arrowthrough-the-heart “Keeper of My Heart” from mixed media.
“He does a lot of crosses,”
Grossberg said. “He works a lot with found objects and recycled materials. He mixes it with a lot of wood and metal work.”
The art studio was founded in 1994. Visitors can use everything from paints to ink, colored pencils, charcoal, clay, paper and fiber to make art. Artists also have access to a potter’s wheel, a kiln and a sewing machine. Workers serve donated food throughout the day.
“We take a holistic view of health,” Grossberg said. “The founders recognized that art can be an incredible tool for healing.”
Sometimes visitors show up at the studio, then decide to use the facility’s medical, dental or behavioral health services.
“It’s very easy to enter our space,” Grossberg said. “You don’t have to wait in lines. You don’t have to fill out a bunch of paperwork.”
The ArtStreet studio is funded by Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, grants and individual donors.