A rare art collaboration marking its 28th year takes center stage during a Feb. 1 opening at Albuquerque’s Harwood Art Center. The new exhibition features work by those who are experiencing homelessness or have previously been unhoused.
“Between Dust & Stars: Echos of the High Desert,” is a collection by the artists of ArtStreet — a program of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless (AHCH). The collection has been staged at the Harwood, located about a half mile from AHCH’s campus and the ArtStreet studios just north of Downtown.
ArtStreet first launched in 1994 and became a part of AHCH in 1999. The program provides supplies and instruction for artists, as well as opportunities for their work to be sold. Organizers said the collection includes surrealist landscapes and imagery.
“Drawing from lived experiences, the artists of ArtStreet have come together to pay homage to the spirit of the desert, bringing to life the often fleeting moments of humanity in the harsh desert landscape,” a show description reads.
Featured artists include abstract painter Thomas Carney, who has been a part of ArtStreet for more than a decade. Julie Mirabal, who has been involved with ArtStreet for about two years, uses recycled materials she finds while walking Albuquerque’s streets in her work.
The Feb. 1 reception is scheduled to run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m, when artists are expected to be on hand for a meet-and-greet. All of the proceeds from sales go to the artists. The exhibition is open through Feb. 22. The artwork can be viewed and purchased in person or by going to harwoodstore.square.site/.
The Harwood is an outreach program of Escuela del Sol Montessori. It first opened as the Harwood Girls School in 1925 and remained so until 1976. It’s housed in a 36,000-square-foot, neo-classical, revival-style building at 1114 7th St. NW.
“Between Dust & Stars: Echos of the High Desert”
Harwood Art Center
1114 Seventh St. NW
January 14 through February 22
Exhibition Reception Feb. 1, 4:40 to 6:30 p.m.