Art Week Austin 2010 Programs

One Swallow Doesn't Make a Summer: Art Installations in the 2ND Street District and Republic Square Park

One swallow doesn't make a summer takes its title from a speech given by former Austin mayor Kirk Watson about the development of the 2ND Street District a decade ago as the project had barely begun to take flight. Watson asserted, "One swallow doesn't make a summer, and not even a dozen (development) projects makes a Great Downtown." In response to Watson's sentiment, this exhibition brings together new work by emerging and mid-career artists to ask the question: what makes a great downtown? In particular, the exhibition reflects upon the creation and dramatic metamorphosis of Austin's 2ND Street District and the nearby Republic Square Park over the past decade. Aggressive development has transformed this neighborhood, once filled with empty warehouses and parking lots, into a new city center. Along 2nd Street, a slew of shops, restaurants, and condos have opened up, creating a distinct community within Austin where people live, work, and play. Meanwhile, Republic Square Park has become host to such vibrant community events as the weekly Austin Farmers' Market. One swallow doesn't make a summer investigates both the past and present of this neighborhood by inviting artists to inhabit its spaces and offer new perspectives the ever-changing Austin landscape.

Austin is, by and large, a driving city. However, the 2ND Street District was designed with foot traffic in mind, and this exhibition takes advantage of the neighborhood's wide sidewalks, clustered storefronts and nearby parks. A walking tour of One swallow doesn't make a summer begins at 210 Guadalupe Street in a space that formerly housed a high-end design store. 210 Guadalupe serves as the exhibition headquarters: here, you will find Cook & Ruud's curatorial office area, which houses additional information about the exhibition and artists, as well as installations by artists Leslie Mutchler, Barry Stone and the collaborative duo Michelle Marchessault and Virginia Yount. These four artists have taken the physical space at 210 Guadalupe as a jumping off place for their installations, reflecting upon the hope and ambition with which such a well-appointed store must have been opened and alluding to the disappointment that must have been contained within its closure.

The second stop on a walking tour of One swallow doesn't make a summer is 400 W Cesar Chavez Street, where Jeff Williams has taken over a 13,000 square foot space that has never been built out. Though inside a shiny corporate office building, the space still has the dirt floor that was left when the building was constructed, and the pipes and rafters are still visible high overhead. Like Mutchler and Stone, Williams responds to the space with his ambitious installation, in particular to the presence of a dirt floor inside the space. Williams has built a contained dust storm•a hallmark of the Texas landscape•within the walls of this slick modern building.

The third stop on this walking tour is 117 Lavaca St, another former design store, which houses a group exhibition of pre-existing work related to the themes of this exhibition, and the fourth and final stop would be 233 W 2nd Street, yet another former design store. Here, Justin Boyd has created a sound and video installation for the space. Boyd's installation, like William's work, responds to the Texas landscape and creates a contemplative atmosphere and an escape from the hubbub of the city streets outside.

The full-scale opening of One swallow doesn't make a summer will take place during Art Week Austin with two durational artworks located at Republic Square Park. On the evening of Tuesday, April 20, Circulatory Systems will park their exhibition space, a reclaimed school bus, at the edge of the park to present a series of music videos made by artists from Austin and beyond. The bus's presence in the park is a reminder of the land's former use as a parking lot, before the city reclaimed the block to create a verdant park. Looking back even further into the history of this particular space, which served as one of Austin's original town squares, Paul Druecke will create The Perfect Recipe: Bake Sale Tea Party, an all-day bake sale in the park on Friday, April 23. The bake sale, a classic American community event, repositions the park as a hub of social activity in the neighborhood. Moreover, Druecke's bake sale will fund three artist fellowships to be bestowed upon artists nominated by the community who have made a significant contribution to Austin. The nomination and selection process will culminate in an award ceremony held in the park during the closing week of the exhibition at the end of May.