Studio by The Tracks staff members Merrilee Challiss, Lauren Cushman and Boo Gilder are gearing up for the 34th annual Art From The Heart, on July 9.By Anne Ruisi
Decades ago, the white building next to the railroad tracks on 20th Street South in Irondale was an icehouse and then a service station.
Since 1989, the one-time commercial building has housed a nonprofit art program geared to adults on the autism spectrum. Studio by the Tracks was founded by Ila Faye Miller, an educator who worked with children on the autism spectrum, said Merrilee Challiss, the studio’s executive director. Studio by the Tracks aims to fill a need for adult artists with autism who have aged out of the education system.
The studio also partners with Glenwood Inc., the nonprofit that serves the needs of children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum. It offers weekly art instruction, nurturing life skills such as confidence, perseverance, creativity, self-esteem, acceptance, patience, focus, collaboration and positivity through art.
Studio by the Tracks provides these adult artists access to a creative career path. Fifty artists come to the studio in Irondale throughout the week, said Lauren Cushman, director of marketing and partnerships.
The studio is usually busy as different artists come in daily. About 40% of the artists live at Glenwood, while others come from throughout the greater Birmingham area, including Over the Mountain. Some even travel from as far away as Talladega and Oneonta. Staff members are there to help them learn something new if they request it.
“Being creative is very powerful,” Studio by the Tracks Program Director Boo Gilder said, adding that spending time at the studio is a highlight of their week for many of the artists.
The artists are encouraged to try new mediums, techniques and ideas based on their individual interests and comfort level, according to the organization’s informational literature. The adult program is formatted as an open studio where each artist can work on their own projects at their own pace. Staff, volunteers and fellow artists offer support.
“We see people grow tremendously. They might have an interest in art and in a year they’ve done things they didn’t know they could do,” Gilder said.
Most of the artists work in two-dimensional mediums, such as painting, drawing and collage. Some like working in ceramics and a few like papermaking, Gilder said.
From Flowers to Dye
In the garden on the side of the studio building are flowers and plants that can be used to make art, she added. For example, there are plants that can be used to make ink or dye, such as indigo, a source of a blue dye, or echinacea, which is used to make a yellow dye.
Sometimes flowers in the garden are used for pressing or to make a print. A neighbor who has a black walnut tree lets the studio use the nuts to make ink.
The studio provides all services and materials to the artists free of charge and helps them make a living by helping them sell their art, Cushman said. The artists receive 60% of the profit from the sale of their work.
Art is sold from the in-house shop and most recently, Red Bike Coffee Company in Crestwood is displaying the works, Gilder said. It also can be bought through the studio’s website, studiobythetracks.org, where shoppers also can buy studio merchandise, such as T-shirts, hats, greeting cards featuring artists’ work and keychains, Gilder said.
The organization is holding its biggest fundraiser of the year, the 34th annual Art From The Heart, on July 9 at B&A Warehouse in Birmingham.
More than 200 works by Studio by the Tracks artists and pieces by donating artists will be available that evening.
“Art From The Heart is not just a chance to make money – it’s a chance for our artists to receive the recognition they deserve,” Gilder said.
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