A UNM alumna is organizing a charity art raffle to benefit some of Albuquerque’s neediest citizens.
Jodie Herrera, a New Mexico native and 2013 UNM graduate, said the event will combine her solo art show along with a raffle of works done by dozens local artists to benefit Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless.
The show, titled “The Shape I’m In,” will be held on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. at Tractor Brewery off of Fourth Street, she said.
Herrera said she wanted to address the issue of homelessness in Albuquerque as the winter season approaches.
“I felt like I wanted to target something more relevant right now with what’s going on,” she said. “It’s getting really cold and obviously we have a huge homeless population, and I’m really concerned about that, as well as other people in our community.”
Around 26 local and national artists, including Herrera, each donated at least one art piece to the raffle, she said.
“It’s really great, because once I put it out there, people became really aware of it. It caught like wildfire and a lot of artists just wanted to donate,” Herrera said.
Angie Poynter, a local artist and contributor, said she is glad to donate a piece of her art and help the homeless community of Albuquerque.
“It’s a satisfying feeling when you know your efforts, work and passion of creating art is going towards a cause larger than you. I am more than happy to give,” Poynter said. “Ironically a lot of artists themselves are struggling to make a living, but are still willing to give what they can back to the community.”
Herrera and Poynter, along with Josh Schriber, are part of the Pop-Up Collective, which has put on three shows in the last year, Poynter said.
The last show they did was called Cardiac and benefited The Heart Hospital of New Mexico, Herrera said.
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For her next scheduled show at Tractor, Herrera said she decided she wanted to do a benefit for the homeless and contacted Cynthia Cisneros at AHCH for guidance.
“It’s been really great working with them,” Herrera said. “Going through an organization actually helps, they’ve done all the research and all the footwork to understand how to properly provide for the homeless.”
AHCH and Cisneros suggested the idea of asking attendees to bring blankets, backpacks and jackets instead of monetary donations, Herrera said. This would eliminate the middleman and reassure people that their donations are going to the good cause, as intended.
Herrera and Tractor Brewery have arranged for entertainment at the event, starting at 7 p.m. with a dance performance by Opal Moon followed by a “secret” performance that won’t be revealed until the event, she said. DJ Cloudface and Boogaloo will also be providing music throughout the evening, which lasts until midnight.
Aside from the raffle and performances, Herrera’s solo show will also be on display, she said. Twelve paintings and six light boxes, projected through vintage suitcases, will be showcased and on sale.
Even with the already generous donations, Herrera is considering putting some of the proceeds from her solo show toward AHCH as well, she said.
Poynter has the utmost confidence in her friend and fellow artist’s capabilities in both her work and humanitarianism, she said.
“Jodie’s solo show is definitely one you don’t want to miss as her work is absolutely mind blowing. She has always been actively involved with the community — she has a big heart and is always finding ways to get people involved and to give back,”
Poynter said. “Not only is it giving back to a community organization in need, it also brings awareness to the community of the importance of art and our artists.”
Herrera’s solo show is an homage to the female and how a woman’s beauty can be increased by her defiance in the face of personal struggles, she said.
The models in her artworks have all had some kind of personal trauma, ranging from homelessness to varying abuse, she said.
“Each of my models has a personal narrative of trauma ranging from addiction, eating disorders and even homelessness. My intention is to reveal how these experiences have given these women more depth and added to their character rather than leave them jaded or broken,” Herrera said. “I symbolically implement their stories into my paintings to better tell their personal stories.”
Raffle tickets for “The Shape I’m in” may be purchased for $3, but attendees are also encouraged to bring a blanket, backpack or jacket to donate, for which they will receive three raffle tickets.
Matthew Reisen is a staff reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com, or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
