This Friday, high school students in Albuquerque hope to open our eyes to an issue many residents may attempt to ignore, and they’re doing it with compassion through art. From 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on May 2, Rio Grande High School students will display their artwork at the Orpheum Community Hub (500 Second St. SW) in a project titled “Voices of Change: Student Perspectives on Homelessness.” The exhibit is part of this weekend’s ABQ Artwalk event.
Melissa Galetti is an Ethnic Studies teacher at Rio Grande High School. She says the student project began with a particularly “authentic” classroom conversation about residential, economic and health inequalities among different marginalized groups.
“We came to the realization that homelessness is not something combatted from the top down. It is combated by average citizens,” she says. “We talked about the importance of making people aware of homelessness in terms of [unhoused people] being stereotyped or being invisible, and I am very pleased because they dug deep into some of these stereotypes and issues.”
Galetti says the original art assignment was suggested by a student teacher named Elizabeth Sanchez. Their students were asked to create posters to accompany a written assignment about that class discussion, and the work the students produced was inspirational. Galetti says that after program directors at Rio Grande High School saw the posters, they agreed the art needed to be seen outside of Galetti’s classroom. The project got the attention of employees at Homewise — a nonprofit dedicated to finding affordable housing for New Mexicans — who arranged to have the student projects displayed at their building, the old Orpheum Theater building in Downtown Albuquerque.
“This exhibit is not just about showcasing art; it’s about sparking conversations and inspiring action,” Galetti says. “It is my hope that the students’ work will encourage viewers to reflect on the complexities of homelessness and the role we can all play in addressing it.”
The exhibition is free and open to the public and gives attendees a chance to chat with the artists about their projects and the issues that inspired them. This weekend, art lovers have the chance to enjoy thought-provoking work and support young talent. But beyond that, these student artists have already inspired proactive dialogue about a major issue affecting New Mexicans in the classroom. Galetti says she hopes her students take the discussion one step further.
“I really hope that we get high-ranking politicians from our city like the mayor and even the governor involved, because they are the ones that have made the issue of homelessness a cornerstone of many of their initiatives,” Galetti says. “And what better way to talk about homelessness than to teenagers? They are our future. They’re the ones who are going to change it.”
Voices of Change: Student Perspectives on Homelessness
May 2, 5:30 p.m.
Homewise at the Orpheum Community Hub
500 Second St. SW
Free