About the Center
Vision
The Bo Bartlett Center is an 18,425-square-foot interactive gallery space housed on
the River Park campus of Columbus State University in downtown Columbus, GA. The red
brick, former textile warehouse turned gallery space, designed by AIA award-winning
architect, Tom Kundig, sits on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Complementing
exhibitions in the CSU Department of Art’s acclaimed Norman Shannon and Emmy Lou P.
Illges Gallery, the Bartlett Center serves as an experiential learning center and
cultural hub for the visual arts while affording visitors a broad range of arts experiences
offered within the College’s arts district. As part of the College of the Arts’ Corn
Center for Visual Arts, the Bo Bartlett Center is a pivotal element in the continued
emergence of a national and international presence.
Aspiration and Mission
The Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University is a dynamic, creative learning
laboratory that is part gallery/museum, part experimental arts incubator, and part
community center. Based on the belief that art can change lives, the center has a
two-fold mission: community outreach programs that help facilitate an inclusive environment
by encouraging participation from diverse voices, and a national mission to partner
with other institutions to provide innovative exhibitions that deepens our understanding
of art through publications and public programming. The center is a unique cultural
institution that is taking a leadership role in the broader University and Columbus
arts community and creating a new paradigm for innovation and service.
Collection and Exhibitions
The Bartlett Center annually rotates six to eight diverse regional, national, and international exhibitions in its galleries. Additionally, the center houses The Scarborough Collection: 14 monumental paintings by Bartlett, as well as the complete archive of sketchbooks, correspondence, journals, recordings, photographs, artistic notes, memorabilia, and objects relevant to the production of Bartlett’s work.
Photos © Matthew Millman