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Photo by Alyx Chandler.
Studio by the Tracks Director Suzanne Boozer surrounded by artwork. Studio by the Tracks is a nonprofit company that provides art studios and materials, as well as social and professional opportunities, for adults living with autism in the Birmingham area.
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Photo by Alyx Chandler.
Studio Store, which sells art from Studio by the Tracks students, opened at 2764 BM Montgomery St. in September.
Since Studio Store opened in September, it’s been providing the city of Homewood with what Studio by the Tracks Director Suzanne Boozer calls “a genuine, uninhibited kind of art.”
Studio Store, an art retail shop tucked away in a little house on 2764 BM Montgomery St., sells abstract, still-life and portrait paintings, framed drawings, ceramic mugs and figurines, hand-printed cards and T-shirts, buttons, magnets and other types of art, all created by Studio by the Tracks artists.
“We opened this as a newer outlet to let people know about our students and their art. … Homewood is such a centrally located spot, a happening spot,” Boozer said. “We needed to provide our students with more opportunities to show and sell their work.”
Studio by the Tracks, which is located in Irondale, is a nonprofit company that provides art studios and materials, as well as social and professional opportunities, for adults living with autism in the Birmingham area.
The services are all offered at no cost, Boozer said.
After the artists create in the studio, their work is matted, framed and priced. Artists keep 60 percent of their art sales, and the remaining 40 percent goes back into continuing the art services at Studio by the Tracks.
“We are the only program of its type in Birmingham and around us. It’s the only real place where people with autism can go and be surrounded by others just like them, doing art,” Boozer said. “… We would love for people in Homewood to see our shop.”
Often, Boozer said, the teachers at Studio by the Tracks learn from the artists they’re teaching because they are just creating art for pleasure, not to make a living. The genuineness of the art is what often catches people’s attention at the Studio Store, Boozer said, and makes them want to buy a piece.
Previously, Studio by the Tracks has done some shows in galleries around Birmingham and at different retail spaces, but they wanted a permanent place people would be able to get to know the artists and their work. Boozer said they have had some opening events during which the artists, friends and residents have come by to check out the artwork. This spring, they will continue those nights.
Studio Store also sells work by partners Paul Ware Art and Biscuit Leather Company.
Studio by the Tracks offers classes every day except Monday morning and Friday afternoon, and most of the volunteers are primarily local artists volunteering their time to work one-on-one with students.
The store is open Fridays from noon-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To get to know some of the artists and their work, visit Studio Store’s Instagram page at studiobythetracks.
For more information, go to studiobythetracks.org/studio-store.
