Art From the Streets

Grab your friends and come join us at Canvas Bar & Gallery at 5th and Congress on Wednesday, October 14 for a special happy hour event. We'll have music by DJgrey, drink specials, and most importantly, a sneak preview of the art to be sold at the 17th Annual Art Show and Sale! Suggested donations will be accepted, but... not required! Students: If you are under 21, you must have a parent or guardian with you.

In addition, 2010 AFTS calendars will be for sale, as will canvas shopping bags and DVDs of the award-winning AFTS feature-length documentary! Proceeds go back into the program. Director/producer Layton Blaylock of Inferno Films will be on site, as will some of our artists.

Art From the Streets was founded in 1991 by a group of Austin artists as a way to bring positive, nurturing, encouraging experiences and relationships into the lives of homeless individuals.

While the public is most familiar with the annual show, the twice-weekly art classes are at the core of the program. People who are homeless have the opportunity to explore their painting and drawing skills in open studio art classes held every Tuesday and Thursday at ARCH—Austin Resource Center for the Homeless.

But artistic expression isn’t the only benefit. The classes give the participants a way to interact with others in a positive, supportive environment. And they give them a way to express themselves in a healthy, productive manner. The most important thing produced isn’t art, but relationships.

Each year, class participants have the opportunity to sell their work at the Art From the Streets Show. Many of the artists have sold enough paintings to afford rent and living expenses, at least for a while. All of them have walked away with a new sense of themselves and a feeling of accomplishment Read More