In a studio in the far western corner of the Canopy arts building off Springdale Road, cardboard boxes filled with plastic-wrapped canvases stand propped against the walls. The paintings have been labeled with names and prices ahead of their move to the Blue Genie Art Bazaar for Art From the Streets' annual show and sale.
"Once we're all there and it's all put on the walls, it's just like a celebration," said Kelley Worden, executive director of the organization, which provides a space for people experiencing homelessness to create art. And this show, she said, provides an opportunity for artists to share who they are through their work.
More than 2,000 pieces by 55 unhoused artists will be displayed for sale during the event Oct. 18 and 19. The artwork costs $35 and up, Worden said, with the average price around $150.
And 95% of every sale goes back to the artists – not only providing them income, but also lifting them up.
"I'm getting to see people wanting to take [my work] home, and that's the best feeling I've experienced as an artist," said David Dominguez, the organization's program coordinator and self-described "couch surfer."
When Dominguez was living in a tent, his artwork would get beaten up. Water stains and shoe prints ruined his drawings. Their edges would be bent from being stuffed in a backpack all day.
"That really eats away at you because you put a lot of time and thought and feeling into these things, and they just get destroyed," said Dominguez, who's been drawing all his life. "I never had any intention of selling [my art], hanging it anywhere. I never thought anybody would appreciate it. And that's all changed through this program."
Artists can come in four days a week to Art From the Streets' studio. All the supplies — canvases, paints, pencils — have been donated or acquired through grants.
Dominguez discovered the organization two years ago through another artist experiencing homelessness. That artist was really talented, Dominguez said, so he figured the group was the "real deal."
"He convinced me to walk in here, and that day completely changed and transformed my life for the better," Dominguez said. The opportunities the program provided have allowed him to make enough money to be able to spend more time with his 13-year-old son.
Dominguez said the organization gives people purpose and a break from dealing with their day-to-day struggles.
"You're allowed to sit at a table and create whatever it is you want to, and it's freedom," he said from a table speckled like a Jackson Pollock painting. "Next thing you know, these conversations strike up, and it's not about how horrible it is to be out on the street. … It's like having a family that you can sit down with. It sounds like Thanksgiving dinner."
He said it's been inspirational getting to know other artists' stories, and sometimes they even influence the colors he uses in his artwork.
The annual show, now in its 33rd year, costs $5 to enter and features original paintings, photography, sculptures and mixed-media pieces. Last year's show raised $45,000 and provided an opportunity for the Austin community to meet and connect with people who are unhoused.
"I love it when there's a lightbulb moment," Worden said, "when people are understanding this artist, they're understanding the piece of work and they're making this direct connection with who they are."
Dominguez said the artists create some "serious works of art" and that might surprise folks who don't expect much from people who are homeless. It's worth taking a chance, he said, and coming to the show.
"In the times that we're living in right now, what better thing to bring into your home than the love and the stories that come with the artwork?" he said.
Copyright 2025 KUT News