From Root To Crown

A Conversation with Bo Bartlett

- Krystle Stricklin

At the 2019 Portrait Society conference, Bo Bartlett will attend to accept the Excellence in Fine Art Education award for his innovative work at the recently opened Bo Bartlett Center and to give a mainstage presentation titled “Let Your Root Feed Your Crown.” As an artist, activist and educator, Bartlett has committed his life to service through art—both in his hometown community of Columbus, Georgia, and the artist community, at large. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Bartlett about his work with the Center, growing up in the South, and his philosophic views on life and painting.

What inspired you to take on such a monumental project in creating The Bo Bartlett Center? What has that journey been like so far?

The Center was not originally my idea. It was Otis Scarborough’s, my brother-in-law. He was a collector of my work and wanted to do something with his collection. He had considered gifting it to several museums, but he didn’t want it to end up gathering dust in a basement vault. At the time, he was on the board of Columbus State University. One day he was talking with then-President Frank Brown, and Brown said that the university would not only be happy to take the paintings, but that they would build a facility to permanently exhibit them.

This offer was exactly what my brother-in-law was looking for because he wanted to have an inherent educational aspect—a learning center. I was busy painting away in Philadelphia at the time, and I said, “That’s great, you guys go ahead and do that. I’m busy painting.” Over time, a seed of possibility was planted, and I began to take an interest in the project. I began to see how it could be mutually beneficial. I had read Suzi Gablik’s book