A Few Words About Mixed Media Art

A Few Words About Mixed Media Art -- AUSTIN, TX -- ART FROM THE STREETS

by Erika Mehlhaff

Mixed media art has been created for years, but became more common at the turn of the 20th century during the Post-Modern art period. It developed as innovation in the art world increased and new and different media arose on the scene and became more readily available to artists. 

Mixed media is a category of art that involves the use of several creative mediums, materials, or methods to create a work of visual art. Mixed media art allows artists to use a variety of artistic processes to create artworks with composition, color, texture, etc. via non-traditional techniques and approaches.

Mixed media art is a broad art category. The artworks that fall within the category of mixed media range from paintings created using several types of paints together, to ordinary “found” objects presented in an artistic way, to sculptures/installation art composed of many different elements--medium like stone, bronze, etc. in combination with other things such as fabric, paper, etc.

Mixed media art is commonly confused with multimedia art. The difference is basically that mixed media art is fully visual in nature, while multimedia art tends to incorporate non-visual elements as well, including things such as dance, music, written or spoken prose/poetry,  dynamic graphics, interactivity, etc. But even as artists develop multimedia art as a genre, mixed media continues to grow in popularity amongst traditional artists as they extend their work beyond the boundaries of a single art form to experiment and diversify their art.

Art methods and media continue to evolve, inspiring artists to become more creative and use new, distinct, and assorted techniques to make their art. They have developed over time to make mixed media art one of the most creative visual art genres ever. This movement in the art world continues today.

Art from the Streets (AFTS) is an Austin, Texas-based non-profit organization that was established to give transient artists a safe place to create. The organization gives artists experiencing homelessness a chance to practice their artistic skills and grow in their creativity and to develop some stability. AFTS provides opportunities for the artists to display and sell their art; this is accomplished through events such as the AFTS annual art show, via online sales, and by way of other projects and partnerships that have developed over the years. AFTS is run by a volunteer board of directors who give of their time to administer the official AFTS website, promote the organization in the community, manage the studio/gallery space, and inventory the art supplies provided to the artists. If you would like to support AFTS and its mission, there are many ways you can give. If you would like more information about the AFTS program, please contact the organization at any time.