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Kalya Cotkin was an artist before she became an occupational therapist.

Now, she's both.

"When I was younger, all I wanted to do was earn my living as an artist," Cotkin said during a phone interview this week. "What I came around to was there were other interesting ways to earn a living, and I could do my art on the side."

Cotkin is one of 11 local caregivers with pieces in "With Care," an exhibit opening tonight at the VSA North Fourth Art Center.

She entered her woven piece, "Shawl for My Mother," at the last minute.

"Because now I'm fairly private about my art," she said. "When I was young, I wanted to be a famous artist. Now, I don't want to be a famous anything."

But she liked the idea of a show for people who care for others and do art, too.

"And I'm certainly not the only creative therapist," she said. "Therapists, especially occupational therapists, tend to be looking at creative ways — games, crafts, dance, yoga — to get people involved in their rehab."

VSA, which since 1981 has provided arts education and exhibition opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities, seems the ideal place for an exhibit devoted to those who look out for others.

Jason Reed, an AmericaCorps volunteer who works at VSA, is part of the committee that came up with the idea for the show and is helping pull it together.

He said the caregivers in the exhibit include art teachers, nurses and a full-time mother.

"The decision to consciously care for somebody is a unique quality," Reed, 27, said. "We wondered what kind of art people with that mind-set would produce.

"For the mother who had taught art at universities and community centers, the art might be kind of a crossover. For others, it might be more of an outlet. We wanted to see all sides of that and also to celebrate it."

Besides Cotkin, those in the show are:

• Dawn Gilbreath, a VSA staffer — acrylic paintings titled "When We Lost Our Mom" and "Poker Face."

• Becky du Mond, a retired high school social worker— acrylic on cardboard, "My Little Piece."

• Karon cq Snyder, a retired school nurse — stained-glass pieces titled "Mount Aspens," "Tree of Life" and "Poppies."

• Tim Psomas, a staffer with VSA's Multi-Sensory Studio Program — a pastel on paper still life, "Silver Over Copper."

• Barbara Besser, director of VSA's Multi-Sensory program — acrylic and mixed-media, "Galactic Family Reunion."

• Karen Doten, a mom who used to teach at universities and community centers — four-piece graphite on paper series titled "The Ground is Now Cement."

• Gerrit Krusemark, a staffer with VSA's Multi-Sensory program — acrylic, spray paint and ink on canvas works titled "Chain Smokers," "The Game" and "Fossil Fuel."

• Judy Felsen, a teacher working with disabled and special-ed students at MacArthur Elementary School — pastels titled "Wetlands Pond" and "Foothills Chamisa."

• Susan Woods, a Bernalillo High School art teacher — an acrylic titled "Aspens Dancing on North River."

• Jay Stoltzfus, a physical therapist — a hand-forged iron sculpture, "I Will Love You Until This Rose Wilts."

Cotkin, 59, has an Albuquerque private practice called Advanced Therapy Now. As a kid in Southern California, she never dreamed she'd wind up a professional therapist.

In 1970, she graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in design, emphasis in weaving. It was right about that time, however, that America's disabled community launched its independence movement.

"They were fighting for things like curb cuts, which we take for granted now," she said.

Cotkin found herself drawn to the cause, and in 1979 she completed a master's degree in occupational therapy at California State University at San Jose.

In 1986, she gave birth to twin sons, Elliott and Martín, both of whom were born with Hunter's syndrome, a rare hereditary disorder marked by severe mental and physical defects. Most victims die before age 15.

Suddenly, Cotkin was a therapist at home as well as at work. There was no time for art in her life then.

"Making the boys happy and comfortable was my creativity then," she said.

Elliott died in 1990 and Martín in 1994.

After that, art returned to stay.

"I still have a loom, and I feel like it's part of my life," Cotkin said. "For me, weaving is a form of meditation, a time when my mind is in a place different from logical thought. It's good for people to find things to do that make them feel good, even things they do by themselves.

"It helps build strength."

And that's something caregivers need plenty of.