Austin's Art from the Streets celebrates 30 years of creativity with show and sale
At one point, a kind man who owned a neon light company offered the concrete slab behind his building to Tom Hixson, who had been pushing his clothes and dogs around in a cart.
It was a rough spot, but a fairly safe home base for a while. Overgrown weeds and bushes provided a bit of privacy.
"It was good to have one place to stay," Hixson says.
Over the years — living with or without shelter — one activity gave Hixson, suffering from major depression, a lift: art.
A few years ago, he discovered Art from the Streets, a singular nonprofit that turns 30 this year, at the Trinity Center downtown. The group has since moved to the Canopy Austin arts complex on Springdale Road.
Its 30th anniversary show and sale will take place Oct. 29-30 at Blue Genie Art Bazaar on Airport Road.
"They supply you with everything," says Hixson, who signs his art "Tom Jett" in honor of his grandma, Lela Jett. "It changed my life. Depression was holding me down and I fell in love with the volunteers and the classes. It gave me something to look forward to and to think better of myself.
"It really means happiness for me. I recently sold 31 paintings. I'd like to be known before I die."
How does Art from the Streets help artists?
Founded in 1991 as a series of informal art sessions at a homeless shelter, Art from the Streets grew into regular open studio sessions for Austinites who have experienced homelessness.
"Art from the Streets shatters the stereotypes of how we as a society think about people who are homeless," says Heloise Gold, co-founder of the group. "Instead, we enter into an experience that celebrates the depth and beauty of each person's creativity and self worth."
The group sold $1,600 worth of art at its first art show and sale in 1992. At these and other community shows, the artist receives 95% of sales. Artists receive 60% of the final prices of online artwork and merchandise sales.
More than 100 artists take part in the program; more than 50 show art during the annual sale. Each one occupies a booth where they can tell stories. They offer not just painting, drawing and sculpture, but photography, jewelry and ceramics. Each year, they sell about 500 to 1,000 pieces, worth tens of thousands of dollars in total.
More:These 1967 Austin murals were going to be lost. Now see them at Mexic-Arte.
“The normal sense is that this population feels invisible,” Bill Jeffers, a founding member of Art from the Streets, told the American-Statesman in 2013. “And all of sudden the relationship with the public got turned upside down. It was the public, not them, who were waiting in line to get in. It was the public who wanted to engage them and hear their stories. It was the complete opposite of daily life.”
The move of Art from the Streets' classes from the Trinity Center to Canopy has helped practically and artistically.
"The level of artwork has gone up a notch," says board member Kimberly Terry. "It's good have a place to store supplies on site and be regular partners with the artists. They learn responsibility. We say: 'This is your space with us.'"
A turbulent time
Hixson, 64, was born it St. Louis. He grew up in Kansas City and Dallas. He attended Catholic schools, where he participated in creative activities. He swam competitively for Southern Methodist University.
Various learning disabilities got in the way of progress in college, and he dropped out. He explained that he sets things to music in his head, a practice that didn't work for subjects that required reading comprehension.
"I add a tune," Hixson says. "I couldn't spell, but I got A's in art and A's in swimming."
As a young adult, he worked various jobs in the antiques and remodeling businesses. He served as a veterinary assistant, but hit an emotional wall when it came to the death of animals in his care.
After close family members died, Hixson spiraled into depression. He didn't always fit into available public housing.
More:Trail Conservancy takes over full-time management of Austin hike-and-bike trail
One manager of a former hotel didn't like Hixson's singing, or the fact that he painted his unit. At another place, located near a golf course, he collected lost golf balls, but the course managers wouldn't let him sell the cleaned balls. Another shelter was overrun with bedbugs.
For the past two years, Hixson has found some domestic peace and creativity at a senior apartment complex in northeast Austin.
"All the people are personable," Hixson says. "I like it there."
Tom's art: colors, abstractions and things he loves
"I love trying to learn new techniques," Hixson says. "I love colors and abstractions. My favorite colors are blue and green."
Two of Hixson's paintings, recently on display at the Canopy complex, showed some of his preferred subjects: faces, butterflies, stars, sunsets, seagulls and travel. He uses acrylics, since oils take days to dry. He experiments with charcoal and watercolor.
"I like to make people happy," he says. "And I like things that make me happy."
A casual artist all his life, Hixson has learned to channel those talents into something else.
"It gives you discipline," he says. "I used to find things on the street and made them into art. Now I do the art here."
He adds with a ready laugh: "It keeps me out of trouble."
Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at mbarnes@statesman.com.
Art from the Streets 30th Anniversary Show and Sale
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 29-30
Where: Blue Genie Art Bazaar, 6100 Airport Blvd.
Cost: $5 suggested donation
Information: artfromthestreets.org
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How Austin nonprofit Art from the Streets helps homeless artists
