Bartlett, TX. Photo by Leslie Moody Castro
The Bartlett Project, an arts and culture-centered revitalization project and exhibition sponsored by Austin’s ICOSA Collective in the town of Bartlett, Texas will open to the public on Saturday, June 12th at 1:00 PM with events and programming. The small town, an hour northeast of Austin, was a thriving industrial hub for cotton until the 1930s. The history and current life of Bartlett can be read about in Bartlett Project curator Leslie Moody Castro’s Glasstire essays on the initiative. The main exhibition will be followed by a series of events, including a tour of the town, an architecture tour, and an outdoor movie screening.
The Bartlett Project exhibition will be housed at 221 E. Clark Street, a massive semi-abandoned department store building, and will run through August 21st, 2021. Artists/collaborators for the Bartlett Project include Aimée Everett, Emmy Larson, Jade Walker, and Mark Menjivar.
Curator and organizer Leslie Moody Castro writes of the project:
“It’s easy enough to just choose things to hang on a wall, to delegate placement, and expect people to walk in and look. But working reactively to the site — learning about what people in that place might want to see, about their interests and the interests of the communities that make up a place — that’s what makes things interesting, and relevant … I’ve been entrusted to produce an exhibition that is relevant to Bartlett, and to the communities that make up the town of Bartlett. And since I have been listening, I also carry the weight of responsibility to ensure that this exhibition tells the part of the story that I am really seeing, and the reality of things I have learned.”
The opening reception is free and open to the public, with the subsequent events suggesting a $10 donation benefiting The Bartlett American Legion Post 183, the Bartlett Activity Center, and the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce.
For schedule and events information, and to RSVP in advance, please go here.
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ICOSA is an artist-run nonprofit space that showcases a diverse range of contemporary art and programming.Founded in 2015, ICOSA was originally located within Pump Project‘s former studio complex. In June 2018 ICOSA moved to nearby Canopy, East Austin’s blossoming gallery and studio hub at 916 Springdale Road. ICOSA’s culture empowers artists to develop their creative and professional ambitions, continuously culminating in a wide range of events, from art shows to educational programs, as well as in cooperative partnerships with diverse organizations.
