Artist Kevin at Art From the Streets
Art for All THESE FOUR NON-PROFITS ARE ON A MISSION TO
Sage Studio
MAKE ART MORE ACCESSIBLE By Sam Lauron Photos by Jenna McElroy
T
HE ART WORLD CAN OFTENTIMES FEEL EXCLUSIVE. But the process of creating and sharing art is a practice everyone should have access to, which is an undertaking each of these art non-profits are committed to. Anyone who joins the Art From the Streets community is an artist first and foremost. Once you’re here, nothing else matters — not your background, experience level or even your living situation. For 29 years, Art From the Streets has provided a safe and welcoming space for Austin’s homeless and at-risk population to retreat to and create art. Through a combination of open studio time and public art shows — where 95% of sales go back to the artist — Art From the Streets has built a supportive community for people experiencing homelessness as they work toward positive goals.
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Now, the non-profit has secured its first-ever permanent space to call home. The space will continue to host open studio as well as public events in hopes that the community can open its eyes to a population that is often misunderstood. “When you meet someone who has been homeArtist Rick at Sage Studio less or is in transition and get to see their artwork,” says executive director of Art From the Streets, Kelley Worden, “you get a different perspective of what homeless looks like.” This integration of communities is also at the root of another local non-profit’s mission. Founded in 2016 by Katie Stahl and Lucy Gross, Sage Studio is an art studio and gallery for artists with disabilities. Stahl, an art educator, and Gross, a social worker, met while working at an art-based day habilitation center for adults with disabilities. It was here where they noticed a gap between their artists and the contemporary art world. “One thing we really lamented was that when we would have art shows [at the center], it was really limited as far as who would come; it was mostly
