A new art show is designed to help troubled teenagers

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Unfortunately, there have been many criminal cases involving teenagers across the state. But even while some are behind bars at the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center, they use the time to learn how to get back on track through art. And now a local teenager is helping his incarcerated peers realize their worth by curating an art exhibition.

“A lot of times we devalue people who are in the criminal system,” Cheyenne Anderson said. “By posting their art and putting the youth’s art on the wall, we’re saying ‘your voice is as valuable as anyone else’s.’

Anderson, 17, had a vision to show her peers that they matter and even if they’re behind bars, it doesn’t have to decide their future.

“Even if you just tag something or make a sticker and put it up once, you can have a piece of art in a museum like the Met or the Guggenheim,” Anderson said. “It just goes to show that there are more opportunities in life.”

Saturday, on the walls of the village La Placita Institute, community found pieces from museums and artists from around the country hanging alongside artwork created by teenagers in the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center. Together they make up the art show “Self-determination”.

“I grew up knowing that art is a privilege and that we just need to keep sharing it,” Anderson said.

She explained that many of the artists who submitted their work started out in street art.

“I belonged to the first generation of underground writers,” said Roberto Gualtieri.

Gualtieri, also known as “COCO 144”, knew Anderson from a previous project. When she reached out for Self-Determination, he immediately supported her.

“She’s doing things for the community, and you know, not many people do that,” Gualtieri said.

The art created by the teenagers comes from one of La Placita’s programs.

“Being able to portray and process things in a positive way will gain a more positive identity for themselves, but also be recognized in the community they return to,” Eric Rivera said.

Rivera has worked at the nonprofit for more than a decade, and during that time, he has seen incarcerated at-risk children completely change their outlook on life.

“When you give someone strength and confidence in their own lineage, their own culture, their own belonging, that’s basically it,” Rivera said. “You give, you give them something that cannot be taken away.”

The art exhibition had appeared, so unfortunately it was only available on Saturday. But Anderson said she hopes to create a similar show and place it in more rural areas, such as reservation schools and detention centers outside of Albuquerque.