July 8, 2025
ArtStreet Artist Feature: Crystal Collins (Cryss Chaos)
Crystal Collins (Cryss Chaos) is a mixed-media artist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was born and raised. After a brief move to California, affordability brought her and her husband— a veteran— back home, where they now live stably with the support of a HUD-Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher and Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless (AHCH), where Crystal still receives care.
Crystal first connected with ArtStreet in 2015, during a difficult chapter when she was staying at Joy Junction and visiting AHCH for medical care. Over time, life’s responsibilities—especially her work as a preschool teacher—pulled her away from art. But after her disabilities forced her to leave teaching and face new challenges, she returned to ArtStreet and rediscovered the healing power of creativity.
Working primarily with acrylic paints and polymer clay, Crystal brings a distinctive 3D texture to her canvases. She’s also learning embroidery to weave tactile elements into her work. Her art has evolved from nature-inspired pieces to bold social and political statements. Some of her works explore themes of community and unity, like a Community, a piece featuring skeletal hands layered with multi-colored handprints and the word “UNITY” in bold relief. Others dive into political collective grief and social resilience—such as Shame, an image of an eagle crying in a thunderstorm, and its companion piece Rise, where the eagle emerges from flames.
For Crystal, art is both personal and powerful: “It brings me joy and a sense of freedom,” she says. “We can use art to speak out against the wrongs we see—even if we can’t change them ourselves.” As a disabled woman, she sees her art as a way to amplify her voice beyond individual limits and connect with others.
Above all, Crystal wants others to know that ArtStreet is a creative home for everyone: “It’s not just for people experiencing homelessness—it’s for the whole community. Art has been healing for me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”
