Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/845169
70 F ifty-five miles south of Dallas — in a former oil-boom town known today for its global fruitcake empire — a promising art and preservation story is unfolding. Add in a dose of community, a committed band of visual and literary creatives, and a monastic aesthetic reminiscent of Donald Judd's vision in Marfa, and voilà — you have 100 West, International Residency for Artists and Writers in Corsicana, Texas. Monikered after its street address, 100 West 3rd Avenue, 100 West (100W, to those involved) is in the middle of a still prosperous, quaint main-street area of Corsicana, the capital of Navarro County. The handsome restored county courthouse with cupola punctuates the skyline a few blocks away, surrounded by the downtown drag for this town whose population edges toward 24,000. Large enough to be stimulating for transplants, and at an ideal distance to provide a mental break for those decamping from Dallas for the weekend or longer, Corsicana is poised for discovery by the creative class. But like every moment when a community revives, a catalyst is required. In this case, that spark arrived five years ago in the form of one individual — a committed millennial artist and furniture maker, 28-year-old Kyle Hobratschk, armed with an SMU BFA and an unselfish desire to share his find with fellow classmates and other artistic types. But there's also the matter of a unique, beautiful old building — the muse to this young man — which he imagined as an environment that would bring artists together and foster creativity. The crux of this artists-and- writers residency revolves around its home: an Italianate-revival 1898 brick edifice, with 11,000 square feet of nearly wide-open space, evenly distributed throughout three high- ceilinged floors. Despite more than a century of mixed use, from a butcher to a pool hall, the late-Victorian structure is still most identified with its original purpose: It was built by and for IOOF: International Order of Odd Fellows, one of America's 19th-century societies that still lingers. Back in the day, members enacted scenes from the Bible during ritualistic meetings while doing good works for widows and children. In Corsicana, the Odd Fellows' role loomed large — running the state's biggest orphanage, which operated for more than a century, 1886 until 1991. After closing and subsequently being razed, its land was donated to the City of Corsicana for a park and soccer field. 100 West's keystone still bears the letters IOOF carved in stone, while its interior woodwork features three intertwined circles above the doorways, signifying the Odd Fellows' creed: Friendship, Love, and Truth. D avid Searcy is a Dallas- and now Corsicana- based writer whose new book of short essays, Shame and Wonder, was recently published by Random House. He and his artist wife, Nancy Rebal, are among five active members of the 100W THE ROAD TO ART, MOVE OVER MARFA CORSICANA IS TEXAS' LATEST SMALL-TOWN ARTS MECCA. C AT H E R I N E D. A N S P O N R E P O R T S F R O M 1 0 0 W E S T. P H OTO G R A P H Y R A C H A E L W I S E . Pinto Bean relaxes in a resident's space, 100 West, Corsicana, Texas.