Spellerberg Projects
103 S. Main Street, Lockhart
I’ve bought a 100+ year-old commercial building on the historic square of Lockhart, TX. It’s two story, attached, masonry. Having been previously used as an office, the first floor contains a reception room, three offices, a meeting room and restroom. The second floor contains a large attic/storage area, a large conference room and one office. It’s approximately 4840 square feet, total area.
I was inspired to consider property a few years ago, when a house down the street from where I live became available. I wasn’t ready to buy, but it got me thinking about the possibilities. I wanted a space for art-making and exhibitions, which really meant a commercial format. Figuring this would require a commercial loan, I enrolled in an entrepreneurship series at Austin Community College, wrote a business plan and formalized an LLC. I spotted this property in December, and closed in April.
The building is situated on the west side of S. Main St. on the City’s courthouse square. The neighborhood consists mainly of commercial buildings dating to 1900, several of which contain second-floor residential units. Check it out on Streetview, and be sure to swing around to see the ornate courthouse across the street.
Lockhart is within the Austin-Round Rock metro area, about 35 miles southeast of Austin proper. It’s the county seat of Caldwell County, with a population of about 12,700 (Wikipedia). Due to the preponderance of BBQ joints, the city has been proclaimed the “Barbecue Capital of Texas” by the Texas Legislature. The big three are Black’s, Smitty’s and Kreuz. So there’s a fairly steady stream of foodies and tourists. Also, because it looks just like you’d think a small town in Texas would look, a lot of movies are filmed there. (More on that later!)
My intention is to create an arts project space, and I look forward to posting more about that as it develops.
I’ve tagged this post #wilby in support of Elana Langer’s project, What I Live By.”
HBO’s The Leftovers filmed at 103 S. Main Street
From May to October 2015 my building was leased by the Warner Brothers team producing season two of HBO’s The Leftovers. Thanks to their their skilled application of movie magic, the City of Lockhart’s historic district portrayed the fictional town of Jarden and my building, 103 South Main, was transformed into “Miracle Gifts.”
The dressing was convincing; I witnessed more than one civilian mistake it for a functioning gift shop. It was only through questioning the details — What is Miracle National Park? — that one might clue-in to the installation’s true nature. Unlike other locations employed by the production which were struck between shoots, Miracle Gifts stayed fully dressed throughout the term.
The Leftovers drama takes place following the disappearance of 2% of the world’s population (just don’t call it the rapture), focused on the family of character Kevin Garvey. Ceated by Damon Lindelof, of Lost fame, the show is based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name.
Lockhart is a popular filming location and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in that activity. I’m also really happy that the space was able to be used in this way; it’s the first art project to take place at Spellerberg Projects.
Constructing the storefront gallery at Spellerberg Projects
In November 2015 the Warner Bros crew producing The Leftovers moved out of my building at 103 S Main St. Over the next two and a half months, with the help of friends, consultants and contractors, I transformed it into an art gallery.
Here’s the exterior as it looked “before”:
The previous tenant was the the county’s Community Supervision and Corrections Department; it was where you’d come to check-in with your parole officer. The last remodel, of which this color scheme was a result, was done in the 90’s when the property was a lawyer’s office.
My objective was to take the shortest possible path to hosting exhibitions and related activities in the space. We decided the best way to do this would be to convert the the first room, a reception area, into to a storefront gallery of about 200 square feet. The walls would need to be extended up and clad in new, smooth sheetrock; the archway converted to a pocket door; and the ceiling fans replaced with track lighting. Because of the building’s historic designation, changes to the exterior would be limited to color: Paint and a new awning cover.
Our first step was to take a crowbar to the walls. (This was fun.) We pulled off the old trim and sheetrock, then handed the project over to our contractor, Lone Star Home Service.
The Lone Star team got to work on the walls and door, but the lighting solution turned out to be more complex than anticipated. The initial thought had been to simply suspend a single track from the existing electrical boxes. But we grew concerned that even though the previous fixtures had been installed this way, this approach wouldn’t pass against the current building code.
I contacted my friends at Independent Architecture and asked them to come up with an alternative. Not wanting to damage the existing tin ceiling, they designed an “H”-shaped support that would attach to the walls and evenly illuminate the display. The track configuration was designed by Lights Fantastic.
Construction was right on track until…
A guy crashed his truck through the storefront! I’m told it was a matter of confusing drive for reverse, and slowed reflexes attributed to advanced age. (He must have really gunned it, to hop the curb the way he did.)
Luckily, none of the workmen on site that day were injured. But it meant the project, which at this point had been almost complete, was substantially set back. And because we’d already begun promoting the opening, repairs needed to happen fast!
Reinstalling the awning was dependent on the paint being dry; the paint was dependent on the stucco; the stucco was dependent on the window frame; and the window frame needed a part that had to be special-ordered. And because of the historic designation, we had very little flexibility; the repairs had to match the original as closely as possible.
The awning had been taken down by Warner Bros and, unfortunately, the frame had been damaged in the process. Again, because of the historic designation, it had to be rebuilt to match. Warner Bros was really great about making it right and hired Austin American Awning for the job. I then commissioned them to make the new cover.
It was tight, but we made the deadline. The awning was installed the morning of the grand opening, Saturday January 16 2016.
Spellerberg Projects grand opening and exhibition by artist Honoria Starbuck
On Saturday, January 16 2016, I opened Spellerberg Projects, an art space in Lockhart Texas, with the exhibition Flaneuse by artist Honoria Starbuck. Honoria is a longtime collaborator; I’ve worked together on various web-based artworks and helped install various shows of hers over the years. I was honored to have her stage the inaugural exhibition at my own space.
Honoria’s show was designed around the display of hundreds of 5 × 7 inch postcard-sized paintings, a format deriving from her engagement with Mail Art. Visitors would peruse a cabinet filled with paintings, organized in clear cases. When they found one they wanted to see, a white-gloved attendant would display them on rails installed along the gallery walls.
The opening was a great success, attracting members of Lockhart’s creative and business communities, as well as friends of Honoria’s and mine from Austin. It was such a warm welcome and wonderful to meet so many of my neighbors. Special thanks to Lockhart Mayor Lew White for coming by and introducing himself. For the occasion, Honoria wore a vintage coat once owned by legendary Lockhart socialite Dolly Cole.
During the 2016 Hot Rods & Hatters festival, which took place February 6th on the courthouse square, we displayed paintings from Honoria’s series Sports Cars Underwater, chine-collé works combining images of underwater life and classic Avantis.
Flaneuse ran through March 20, 2016. More info about the show is available on the gallery website. Here’s some photos:
Workshop by teaching artists Honoria Starbuck & Luanne Stovall at Spellerberg Projects
The first workshop held at Spellerberg Projects was New Year, New Color! by teaching artists Honoria Starbuck and Luanne Stovall. The workshop was held as a companion to Starbucks’s exhibition, Flaneuse; teaching is a big part of her practice and the workshop was a way to express that in the gallery.
Starbuck and Stovall began with an introduction to color theory, which included showing a video they’d produced. Participants then got their hands dirty, using paints and stamps on paper to put the ideas into practice. The paper was cut into cards of the same format favored by Starbuck and featured in her exhibition. Participants were encouraged to use the opportunity to make custom Valentines Day cards for their loved ones, many opting to experiment with colors other than the traditional reds and pinks.
Th event was held Saturday, January 23, in two sessions. As it happened, the first attracted more of an adult crowd and the instructors were really able to delve into the theory behind color; the second included some younger kids and was much more about just having fun! Filmmaker Hayden Yates was on hand, shooting video.
More info about the event is available on the gallery website. Here’s some photos:
