2020 End of Year Letter

Greetings friends,

As we approach the end of 2021 we want to express to you our deep appreciation for your continued support of Co-Lab Projects, our artists, programs, and ongoing efforts to navigate the evolving landscape of creating art experiences during this ongoing predicament.

It’s been a confusing year, one of cautious optimism and attempting to reassemble the once familiar forms of what existed before. As promised at the end of last year, we took it slow, ensuring that we reopened in a way that could reunite people in a safe manner that would not compromise health or our organizational stability. So far, this has worked well. Our reopening exhibition in April “A Wished For And Welcome Guest” was incredible, the feeling of reconnecting with so many friends, collaborators, and supporters was something that will never be forgotten. Those types of experiences, once taken for granted in their frequency, cannot be replaced and we were honored to share that with you once again.

Since reopening we’ve continued to utilize the culvert gallery for several programs including the first solo exhibition of artist Analuz Guerra, curated by Rebecca Marino, a beautiful exhibition of textiles, videos, ceramics, photography, and mud. Analuz’s work transcends generations and borders as it examines the traditions of making that have been passed on to her from time immemorial. Then, in a very different tribute to the passing of time, and the continuation of a tradition that we have been upholding, we exhibited Claude van Lingen’s “9/11 Memorial: The Twenty Year Anniversary” in which we revisited the work shown in 2011 at our original location during the 10 year anniversary of the attacks. These monumental artworks honor those who perished in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania tragedies and pay homage to those who lost their lives in the ensuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our final program of the year began with a residency in which Mexico City based artist Yeni Mao came to Austin to create new sculptural works for the culvert gallery. Yeni was a guest at my home on the Colorado River, fabricating the sculptures in the adjacent barn over the course of three weeks. This was the first time we were able to facilitate an artist in residence for the time required to create a new body of work. The resulting exhibition is one of intentional restraint and minimal industrial beauty, the serpentine forms arch and connect to the hardened architecture of the concrete walls, ceiling and floor, uniting the space and the materials contained within. 

We’ve only just begun to explore and imagine what the possibilities are with this unique space. So far it has been used primarily for the exhibition of objects but in 2022 we will be expanding what the space is capable of sonically and how it can serve as a stage for performance as well. We’re excited to continue presenting programs tailored to this unique space and hope you’ll join us in experiencing them next year. Until then we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. 

Sincerely,
Sean Gaulager, Executive Director and Curator
and Directors Austin Nelsen, Christopher Burch, Leslie Moody Castro, and Vladimir Mejia