Update: We are thrilled to announce we have SOLD OUT tickets to this event! You still have an opportunity to help us reach our goal of $ 60,000 by donating today!
Dear Friends,
For thirty-two years, Art From the Streets, an Austin-based non-profit organization, has been providing support for people experiencing homelessness. Our free open art studio offers a place for our artists to create and showcase their works, while also providing enrichment opportunities, workshops, art shows, and sales throughout the year. Our artists receive 95% of the proceeds from the sale of their original art, and in 2023 we distributed 95 thousand dollars in artist proceeds.
AFTS goes beyond the creation and sale of art. As many of our artists exit homelessness, they continue to experience the effects of trauma and circumstances that perpetuate its cycle. AFTS provides an environment for our artists to improve their well-being and independence while building relationships within a broader positive community. Within this community, they find healing and connection.
To fulfill our mission and support our talented artists, we depend on the kindness and generosity of our community to fund our operations. AFTS is thrilled to announce the 2023 "Give Art a Home" gala, which will take place on Wednesday, April 10th from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at The Cathedral, located at 2403 East 16th Street. Our goal is to raise $60,000 for critical operating expenses and future growth. Join us and connect with other passionate individuals who are committed to lifting artists from the streets of Austin and helping to end the cycle of chronic homelessness they may experience.
Thank you in advance for your support and we look forward to celebrating Art From the Streets with you on April 10th!
Sincerely,
Kelley Worden, AFTS Executive Director
Marla Johnson, AFTS Director of Development
REMINDER: Please pre-authorize your credit card after ticket purchase to expedite the check-in process at the event!
Live Auction Items
#1 Joyce Howell and AFTS Collaborative Art Piece
30x40" Acrylic, Crayon, and Oil on Canvas
TITLE: "Round Robin"
VALUE: $4,200
Each year, Art From the Streets artists collaborate with a local artist to produce a one-of-a-kind piece to support our programming. This year we collaborated with Joyce Howell, a local abstract expressionist with exhibits at the Wally Workman Gallery.
A Message from Joyce Howell:
"Round Robin is a cooperative piece between artists from Art From the Streets and myself. It was a challenge for me to try to communicate and encourage mark-making that is not based on an image. I realized quickly this is a foreign concept to most of the participating artists at the studio, so the creation of the piece was at times chaotic and messy. It was, however, interesting for me to try to communicate something I do instinctually and then watch other artists try to wrap their minds around the concept of creating "nothing" identifiable to their eye and experience and just concentrate on color, line, design, the weight of one color vs another, and variation and repetition of line, hue and shape. Most were familiar with Jackson Pollock's paintings so much to the chagrin of those who had to repaint a wall, his drip/sling technique gained momentum. I think the work was met with fun, some laughter, confusion, frustration, rejection, and maybe some pride.
At the end of the adventure, I hope that some opinions of what is or isn't art, some opinions of what is or isn't good or proper have been challenged and that the process of working together has led to communication - whether it is art related or not. At the end of the process, I was reminded of how the value and power of self-expression is to our well-being. The artists I met are interested and they are willing to learn and share. I deeply honor those of you who make this experience available for them at the Canopy. "
#2 AFTS Studio Collaborative Art Piece
9" x 11" Hand-Bound Book
TITLE: "Expressions"
VALUE: $1,500
This work is a collection of 22 originals from AFTS Artists and Lead Volunteers.
Original work created with charcoal, pencil, ink, and acrylic on cold-press paper.
Book is bound with vellum and covered in linen with a vegan leather title insert.
From Pat Chapman, AFTS Studio Coordinator:
"Artists express themselves with their color palette, their subject matter, their medium, and their movement on the canvas.
When asked to submit a piece that expressed who they were as artists, as people, as participants in Art From the Streets, this was the beautiful result.
'Expressions' represents who AFTS is as a community of artists."
View "Expressions" as a work in progress on YouTube!
