About Us
Studio By The Tracks (SBTT), a non-profit organization, was formed in 1989 to provide free art classes to special needs adults and emotionally conflicted children. SBTT provides a focused, energized effort which allows troubled young people and adults with special needs an outlet to create. We encourage a supportive and nonjudgmental atmosphere necessary to nurture creative abilities, enhance self-esteem, and explore alternative ways of coping with emotional and physical conflict.
The success of our program is two-fold. First, since opening our doors in 1989, over 1,000 at-risk youth have participated in the curriculum at SBTT. A great number of these young people maintain contact with the Studio and many credit the Studio as a catalyst in their success after leaving the program.
Secondly, SBTT serves adults with autism, Asperger's or mental illness. Many of these individuals have been coming to the Studio since 1989 and have become career artists who sell their artwork and cultivate collectors. Assisting these students in their determination for creative growth and self-sufficiency is one of SBTT's greatest successes.
To support our mission, SBTT hosts a yearly benefit, "Art From The Heart," at which artwork by students as well as local artists is exhibited and auctioned. We have also recently opened an on-site gallery for the permanent display of our students' work.
A Unique Concept...
Few art studios across the country offer programs for at-risk youth and adults with autism, Asperger’s or mental illness. Located in Irondale, Alabama in a renovated building next to a railroad track, SBTT is a welcoming place. “The impact of Studio By The Tracks has been much greater than we ever imagined”, Director Ila Faye Miller states. “It’s much more than free art classes. It’s about providing a safe, positive experience for people who have been handicapped by negative circumstances and society’s assumptions about their ability to achieve.”
