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Sheri Crider is creating renovated bright spots in the Downtown sa国际传媒官网网页入口 area, although she prides herself on being a very different kind of developer.

She keeps rents low for artist studios, and, in her latest venture at the Gizmo building on Central Avenue, she also plans to offer five free housing units for former inmates.

It鈥檚 part of Crider鈥檚 mission as a 鈥渟ocial practice artist鈥� who has spent her own time behind bars and trying to survive on the streets.

鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to make huge profits,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 on the ground working. I do a lot of the interior finishing myself, so that鈥檚 how I can do such a project and keep the rents low.鈥�

Crider, who once owned a tile company and plays competitive pool for fun, began her owner/developer career in 2015 by purchasing and renovating the Sanitary Tortilla Factory, a former restaurant that she turned into a studio and exhibition space.

She has sold that property and, thanks to her construction license, is in the midst of building out her new endeavor 鈥� the four-story Gizmo building. Once a JCPenney outlet and then a surplus store, it offers 53,000 square feet compared to Sanitary鈥檚 7,000 square feet.

Crider says her impetus for creating affordable space also stems from her own experience in art, post-graduate degree, and her disenchantment with the institutional art world.

鈥淚n the 2000s, when I got out of graduate school, there weren鈥檛 spaces specifically for people of color, emerging, queer artists,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o I decided to create it 鈥� creating magic, which is creating community.鈥�

What鈥檚 your vision for the Gizmo project?

A thriving arts community that is a significant contributor to the community. My artist practice is geared toward community engagement. The reentry housing on the top floor fully realizes that. I saw such a need, so I started going to the jail (Metropolitan Detention Center) every other week, and there鈥檚 nothing for people who are incarcerated. If you go behind the walls, you鈥檒l find that so many people are very creative. Art is very therapeutic. But the other stuff is just basic. Like showing someone a pathway.

How are you funding this?

It鈥檚 all money that I鈥檝e created through sweat equity. I sold Sanitary for $120 a square foot, and I bought Gizmo for $35. I see so many nonprofits constantly just trying to raise money, and then they鈥檙e becoming a chameleon to the grant. And now we鈥檙e in this moment where everyone is losing their grants. And so I want to build an organization 鈥� and I鈥檝e been able to do that at Sanitary 鈥� where I don鈥檛 have to have a grant. We just established a nonprofit. Once we get Gizmo up and running (and) we have all the tenants in there, we鈥檒l be able to build the apartments.

Please explain how your own difficulties have fueled your projects.

I kept getting arrested. I lived on the streets for almost a decade, and I was probably at my third court-ordered drug program (in Arizona) when I had a counselor ask me what I鈥檓 good at. No one had ever asked me that question. And I remembered that in fourth grade, I got an art award. This woman also showed me museums 鈥� and said, 鈥淵ou could be an artist.鈥� So just asking the questions: 鈥淲hat are you good at? What do you love to do?鈥� I had no idea what she was talking about, but she 鈥� gave me the support that I needed to make those first steps on creating a different pathway. That鈥檚 the blueprint. Maybe you鈥檙e good at painting cars. There are a million iterations of creative (expression.)

What turned you off about institutionalized art?

In graduate school, I had all these realizations about art and institutionalized art 鈥� what audiences go to museums. I quickly realized that it was essentially the same 150 people going and looking at each other鈥檚 work, and for me, that didn鈥檛 hold a lot of interest. I was more interested in a larger expanse of people. People coming from a lot of different places.

What are you proud of?

I got a grant two years ago 鈥� from the state doing art and mental health for Gordon Bernell Charter School at MDC. I鈥檝e been working with a young woman 鈥� now she鈥檚 18 鈥� who had a rough path. Her father was in prison, and now she works at Sanitary once a week and she鈥檚 going to be graduating. For me, it鈥檚 about de-mythologizing career paths for kids. We don鈥檛 do that very well. It鈥檚 going to that same question, 鈥淲hat are you good at? What鈥檚 the biggest dream you could imagine?鈥� And then pairing them with spaces in the community that mirror that to them and give them career pathways.

What do you do in your free time?

Well, sadly, I love working. You know, working on our property is a lot of hard work. This barren dirt (in Los Lunas) and now it鈥檚 80% native grasses. It鈥檚 just so satisfying to work really hard and see something grow 鈥� literally. And then playing pool is just some sort of strange place where I can mentally not work. You don鈥檛 have to think about anything, and I find it a very interesting sport because there is such a huge variety of pool players.

Any pet peeves?

Cleaning up after yourself, like basic housekeeping. In construction, it never happens. You鈥檙e constantly cleaning up after other people, which is annoying. And just really being a person of your word. If you say you鈥檙e going to do something, do it.