BLOG

There are currently plans to consider the addition of a homeless shelter in an additional neighborhood in the city of Austin. This past Thursday, members of City Council ordered that a city-owned building be found as soon as possible, which would then be converted into a temporary homeless shelter. This process is part of a continuing effort to reduce the overall size of downtown Austin's homeless population.

It's also because ARCH, or the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, is currently overflowing in terms of the building's population. In fact, the sidewalks that surround the building are about as busy as one might think they would be.

Kathie Tovo, Austin's Mayor Pro Tem, says that this is a problem on so many levels and that a solution needs to be found. Tovo also says that the homeless in downtown Austin deserve a shelter and also deserve to be removed from an environment that is rather conducive to crime, further stating that there is a risk of drug dealers potentially preying on the homeless population. Tovo feels that repurposing a city-owned building into a temporary homeless shelter for a period of approximately six months may be a good fix for the time being.

Staff was given two weeks by City Council to come up with a list of buildings that would fit the proper criteria, which means that the building must not only be safe, but also located near transit as well.

This resolution is different from one that was previously passed last October, in which City Council tasked staff with locating properties that would be able to serve as permanent housing and shelter for members of Austin's homeless community. This is a search that continues to be ongoing.

As Austin continues to grow and change, we will continue to be there for the homeless community through art.

Art From the Streets rely on generous donations of people like YOU! 

Purchasing artwork supports the artists directly. 

Donating to our program helps us to offer a free Open Studio 

for the homeless and at risk. THANK YOU!

 

The relationship between the body and brain in terms of art really makes going to the local museum absolutely worthwhile. Art is something that has definitely helped to shape the society that we live in today, as we have constructed all sorts of galleries that house some of the finest pieces created by the best talent in the entire world; however, is science able to actually measure the overall effect that art has on us?

The simple answer to that question is yes.

First and foremost, art is great at reducing our overall stress levels. A recent Westminster study showed that those who took part in it, which included a lunchtime visit to a local art gallery, experienced a reduction in their stress levels after visiting the gallery, and even spent an extra 35 minutes checking out the space in any way that they were able to.

The biggest catch, however, was that they only experienced a decrease in cortisol, or the main hormone that causes stress, if someone who already had high levels of the hormone already went into the gallery.

It's also been proven that the brain is essentially hardwired to process various forms of art. What that means is that portions of the brain that are associated with factors such as contemplation automatically become sparked whenever someone begins to view works of art. This is also the case even if they aren't spending any time thinking about art in a critical sense. The expectation is that the brain will recognize faces and process scenes more whenever someone looks at art. On the other hand, portions of the brain that are linked to different emotions will also show activity as well.

Perhaps the biggest benefits, however, come from actually producing art in some form, regardless of what it is. In this same study, there were two groups of retirees. One group was provided with lessons from an art educator and were tasked with creating pieces that essentially displayed their own personal artistic expression. The other group, meanwhile, was more of a discussion class, in which talks were held in regards to specific sculptures and paintings. Before and after each process, each group had their brains scanned, and out of each group, the one that created art was found to have had the best neural benefit as opposed to the other group.

Art can often easily be taken for granted a lot of times; however, it can also lead to all of us becoming much healthier and obtaining an increased amount of brain activity.

Art From the Streets rely on generous donations of people like YOU! 

Purchasing artwork supports the artists directly. 

Donating to our program helps us to offer a free Open Studio 

for the homeless and at risk. THANK YOU!

 

When it comes to art, there's no secret that it certainly has its share of misconceptions. Some people feel that in order to consider yourself a real artist, you have to create something such as a sculpture or painting, while others believe that you either are or are not born with talent. However, every one of us are born with the desire and ability to express ourselves, and art is a wonderful way to achieve this, especially in terms of our mental health.

Here are five of the best mental health benefits of art.

Art Relieves Stress

Drawing, sculpting, painting, etc. are great ways to lower your overall stress levels and make you feel much better mentally. Essentially, it provides a distraction that will give your brain a much-needed break from all of your usual ways of thinking. Perhaps one of the most popular artistic stress relievers, especially nowadays, is coloring books, many of which have been created specifically with stress relief in mind.

Art Helps To Encourage Creative Thinking

As opposed to math, art doesn't require any kind of a correct answer. Instead, you can come up with your own type of solution and further stimulate your brain with this type of creative thinking. This is especially the case since you will be able to use both hemispheres of your brain.

Art Helps To Boost Self-Esteem and Offer a Sense of Accomplishment

Similar to hanging a child's artwork somewhere can boost their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment, doing the same with your own artwork can create the same type of effect. Even better is the fact that you don't have to create something that looks absolutely perfect in order to obtain these feelings, and it doesn't even matter what type of art you create, whether its drawing, photography, or even knitting.

Art Encourages Brain Activity

Whenever you engage in any kind of a new activity, your brain begins working to create connections between all of your different brain cells. In terms of creating art, this helps to stimulate all sorts of connections between various portions of your brain itself.

Art Improves the Overall Quality of Life in Dementia Patients

Art has been shown to enhance factors such as memory and cognitive abilities, especially in those who suffer from serious mental disorders such as dementia. While it's been shown that different types of drug treatments generally don't work very well in these individuals, creating art provides a great sense of pleasure for them. This is because it has been shown to greatly improve their self-esteem and social behavior, as well as reduce various psychiatric symptoms associated with their disorder.

Art From the Streets rely on generous donations of people like YOU! 

Purchasing artwork supports the artists directly. 

Donating to our program helps us to offer a free Open Studio 

for the homeless and at risk. THANK YOU!

 

Mark your calendar for the opening o four exciting summer show June 14th, 6-9pm. Inspired by Stevie Wonder's lyrics and changes in our urban landscape, we invited Austin artists to share their views on Living for the City.

New works by artists representing Art From The Streets and Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Arthouse at Community First Village. 

Additional featured Austin artists include Ethan Azarian, Valerie Chaussonnet, Sam Hurt, Noel Kalmus, David Lykes Keenan, George Krause, Heidi Pitre, SLOKE ONE and Rachel Wolfson Smith.

 

Art From the Streets rely on generous donations of people like YOU! 

Purchasing artwork supports the artists directly. 

Donating to our program helps us to offer a free Open Studio 

for the homeless and at risk. THANK YOU!

 

Each year at this time, while the flurry of the annual show is consuming us all, I sit for a moment and reflect on our year. I contemplate my time with the artists and volunteers in our program. I am constantly reminded why AFTS is such an important piece to our community here in Austin.  In our Open Studio we are all friends, colleagues, artist….…..people.  We share stories of life….the highs and the lows. We are so excited with the creation made in class each week, the education time in nearby galleries/museums and the community that reaches out to our program daily. I am consistently overwhelmed with the generosity!

We are all taking a deep breath and jumping into these next two weeks before the 24th Annual Show And Sale. Lots of work ahead of us…. pricing, tagging, mounting and most importantly supporting the artist in our program. They are nervous, anxious, excited and scared.  And so are we! We look forward to an amazing show this year and we hope you have made plans to attend and support AFTS but most importantly come and make a difference in your community. 

Thank you for your continued support!

Kelley Worden

Executive Director

director@artfromthestreets.org

Art From the Streets rely on generous donations of people like YOU! 

Purchasing artwork supports the artists directly. 

Donating to our program helps us to offer a free Open Studio 

for the homeless and at risk. THANK YOU!