art on the street

Austin's Mexic-arte Museum gathers 100+ contemporary Latinx artists in vendor cart exhibit

Mexic-arte Museum Creating Encuentros: Changarrito 2012-2024

Although the Changarritos residency has been going on for more than a decade, this exhibition gathering all its works is newly open.

Mexic-arte Museum/Instagram

Austin's Mexic-Arte Museum is shining a light on an ongoing program that celebrates the work of over a hundred Latinx artists from Texas and beyond. An exhibit that opened April 12 collects works that originated in the museum's art vending cart residencies — from 2012 until now — for display together through August 25, drawing a more explicit line between the permanently held works.

According to the Mexic-Arte website, “changarrito” refers to the vending carts scattered around the streets of Mexico selling antojitos (street food) and more. Artist Maximo Gonzalez conceptualized the changarrito as an alternative platform for artists to present their work to the public beyond the confines of traditional art spaces or official curatorships.

Today, the informal art vending carts exist throughout the world (including online through “changarreando”), allowing artists to expand the reach of their work and connect to the public through social media and special exhibitions. Leslie Moody Castro first brought the concept to Mexic-Arte in 2012, implementing the Changarrito residency as a platform for artists to share their art and foster community in Austin and beyond.

This year, the museum celebrates the program’s history and legacy with an exhibit of artworks from its permanent collection, each acquired during the residencies of Changarrito artists over the past 12 years.

Creating Encuentros: Changarrito 2012-2024 includes a newly commissioned sound piece by Lisa Salidvar (Mexico City), an interactive artwork by Gil Rocha (Laredo, Texas), a hand-painted exhibition sign by Alán Serna (San Antonio, Texas), and a mural by Stephen Longoria (San Diego, California), titled Tejas Forever.

Celeste De Luna is the current Changarrito artist in April. Hailing from Harlingen, Texas, and now based in San Antonio, De Luna is inspired by nature and is enjoying discovering the birds in her home base of four years so far.

A print by Celeste De Luna, shared by the Mexic-arte Museum on Instagram.Art by Celeste De Luna, via Mexic-arte Museum/Instagram

“This print was inspired by my love of nature and birds, how this love connects me to ancestral memory, and after a painting by artist Frida Kahlo titled 'My Dress Hangs There,'" De Luna explains on the museum's Instagram. "This work addresses climate equity and how it should include indigenous peoples’ connections to nature. These ancestral connections to nature and animals should be preserved and indigenous voices and concerns should be taken into consideration when considering climate equity for all people in cities.”

Creating Encuentros: Changarrito 2012-2024 opened with both live music and a DJ, drinks from Dulce Vida tequila, snacks from Licha’s Cantina and Ross Cake’s Bake & Sweets, and a chance to engage with the artists whose works comprise the museum’s Changarrito exhibition.

The opening reception was also the first of a series of "encuentros" – a variety of media mixers, panel discussions, pop-up art sales, and more. Mexic-Arte will host additional encuentros throughout the exhibit’s April-August run, including a free family day on Sunday, May 19, as part of the museum’s H-E-B-funded Domingos Gratis en Familiar grant. More information on the exhibit and special events, including ticketing information, is online at mexic-artemuseum.org.

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Outside the Lines

Buda artist releases intuitive drawing book with fun prompts

Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Artist Ronald Gross creates an intuitive drawing with crayon, which he considers a "joyful" medium.

Buda-based artist and writer Ronald Gross released a book in November called Unlock Your Creativity: A Guide to Intuitive Drawing, which will walk aspiring expressers through drawing without worry. On December 6, he'll be on hand to help in an intuitive drawing demo at Buda Public Library's Holiday Open House.

The book is a hands-on guide that teaches readers how to lean into their own desires and intuitions when drawing, whether they feel like an artist or not. In this way, intuitive drawing should feel relaxing, meditative, and ultimately, beneficial for mental health. If you find coloring books relaxing and meditative, intuitive drawing may have the same effect on you.

"Intuitive drawing is the practice of creating art without a specific plan or outcome in mind," says Gross. "It’s about letting your hand move freely, guided by emotion, curiosity, or subconscious impulses; not about making something perfect."

An intuitive drawing by author and artist Ronald Gross. Intuitive drawing is simple, joyful, and according to Gross can calm the mind much like meditation. Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

This book presents exercises to access a mindful state: freeform doodling, blind contouring drawing, drawing from the imagination, and drawing from emotions. For artists feeling stuck, Gross also includes plenty of exercises for overcoming creative blocks and even discusses ways intuitive drawing can be applied to other creative projects and areas of life.

In the December workshop, Gross will give a quick demonstration on how to create an intuitive drawing using nothing but lines, shapes, and simple marks. Then participants can try it out with a variety of crayons, because crayons are "tactile" and can quickly transport people into a "playful, unselfconscious space," according to Gross.

"The workshop is all about creating a supportive, judgment-free space to explore intuitive drawing," he says. "Attendees will leave with tools to keep practicing on their own and, hopefully, a renewed sense of creativity and playfulness."

An intuitive drawing from author and artist Ronald Gross. In college Gross was taught how to take a doodle and elevate it into fine art.Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Gross's own journey into intuitive drawing started at a young age, when he would doodle and sketch throughout the school day. Years later at the Academy of Art University, a professor encouraged him to lean into this more intuitive and abstract style of art. Since then, Gross has been exploring intuitive drawing's ability to access a meditative state, as well as tap into the subconscious mind.

"When you draw intuitively, you’re fully present in the moment," Gross says. "Your mind quiets, and you become attuned to the flow of your thoughts, feelings, and physical movements. It’s akin to meditation, only instead of sitting still, you’re actively channeling your inner experience onto the page."

An intuitive drawing by author and artist Ronald Gross. Gross's intuitive drawings each evoke a different feeling through his simple use of color and linework. Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Gross adds that over time, doing some of the exercises included in the book may even help boost confidence, since intuitive drawing can help people learn to trust their instincts.

"Intuitive drawing can unlock creativity, reduce stress, and help people reconnect with their inner selves," he adds. "It offers a space to process emotions, spark ideas, and break free from perfectionism or overthinking."

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