The mission of Art From the Streets is to provide a safe and encouraging environment in which the positive spirit and creativity of people experiencing homelessness and at-risk people are nurtured through their own artistic expression.
These artistic endeavors form a pathway to self- determination by means of: the sense of achievement, social connections, and income generated through the pursuit of their art.
> Follow Art from the Streets on Instagram <
Through its 32-year history, Art From the Streets has helped thousands of unhoused individuals improve their circumstances - literally and figuratively - by providing them the means to make art. We believe that anyone can make art, and that making art is good for everyone.
Art From the Streets' volunteers hold four times a week Open Studio session where people who are experiencing homelessness, at risk, or in transition can come to paint and create. We then help them sell their work with 95% of all sales going directly to the artists.
Additionally, AFTS gives creative support to the unhoused through community partnerships. Through these relationships, we offer enrichment opportunities for our artists in our local museums, implement workshops, art therapy and support an online gallery where prints and merchandise are sold. We host 3-5 art shows in Austin and 5-7 in our studio gallery throughout the year as well as a one big annual show and sale.
Participants gain access to their creativity, and for some - the determination and discipline necessary to explore it. The personal relationships formed in the weekly studio sessions are invaluable additions to their lives. In many cases, the time spent with the volunteers and other artists in the open studio sessions are their only positive human interactions of the day. There is a feeling of pride, self-determination, and self-worth each visit to the studio. There is the sense of purpose that brings them to the open studio week after week, and the satisfaction from working hard at something and ending up with tangible evidence of that effort - a wall full of art that they themselves created. Visitors who might otherwise never have spoken to an unhoused person engage with them at the show. The interest and appreciation expressed by the patrons gives the artists a sense of worth, confidence, and community.
AFTS started with 3 friends coming together to create experiences with persons experiencing homelessness in our community. They partnered with one of our Austin, TX homeless shelters to provide an opportunity for their clients to create. As the program grew and the shelter needed their space regularly we connected with a local church and was able to acquire space to have twice a week afternoon Open Studios. Only in the last 2 years we now have 4 days to create and a studio to call our own. We raise money through our website, local grants from foundations, fundraisers, and generous donors.