Black-owned barbershops, bookstores, salons, and kitchens take center stage in a photography exhibition at Austin Public Library's Central location. Holding Spaces documents how these places continue to preserve space for community, culture, and history in Austin.

The photo exhibition by portrait photographer Steven Hatchett is on view in the Central Library’s second-floor Southwest Gallery at 710 W. César Chávez St. Through large-scale portraits and immersive elements, the exhibition centers Black-owned businesses as vital “third spaces” — places of gathering, safety, and cultural continuity beyond home and work.

Events tied to the exhibition include an artist reception on February 5, a panel discussion on Black food venues on February 25, and a community conversation on Black-owned brick-and-mortar spaces on March 3. The exhibition is curated by Taylor Danielle Davis.

The exhibit features portraits and stories from local businesses including Marshall’s Barber Shop, Black Pearl Books, Luv Fats Ice Cream, Down South Cajjun Eats, Kicking It ATX, Riches Art Gallery, Homestead Hub, and Shag Noir Salon. Together, the businesses represent both long-standing institutions and newer ventures that exist as pieces of a broader history.

“I wanted a breadth of experience across the Black diaspora — old school and new school — to show the many ways people are holding space,” Hatchett said.

Hatchett frames Holding Spaces around his respect for the Black artists and cultural spaces already present in Austin. In Chicago, where Hatchett is from, he feels Black history is more rooted in the community. He wants to create that kind of grounded institutional memory for Austin, where many of the city's Black historic neighborhoods have faced decimation from gentrification.

A picture at Luvs Fat Ice Cream in Northeast Austin, which made small batch vegan ice cream. Photo by Steven Hatchett

Visitors are invited to engage beyond the photographs themselves. The exhibition includes experiential elements such as an interactive reading nook featuring a curated selection of library books from Black Pearl Books, along with objects and visual cues that evoke the lived experiences of the spaces portrayed — from barbershop conversations to salon rituals and community kitchens.

Hatchett, who has lived in Austin for eight years, is also the co-founder of _OFCOLOR, a nonprofit arts alliance dedicated to uplifting artists of color through exhibitions, mentorship, and access to resources. His previous exhibition, All Kinds of Black in Tech, was shown at AfroTech and via the Austin Public Library. He expects to eventually combine current and new Holding Spaces subjects into a coffee table book that commemorates Black Austin history.

Holding Spaces opened January 15 and is visible through Sunday, March 29.