The Brownwood Art Association’s building, located at 215 Fisk in downtown Brownwood, experienced extensive water damage due to the February freeze. Unfortunately, due to the extreme cold weather, the water pipes burst in the attic ceiling and behind the wall of the first floor back room which caused two inches of standing water throughout the entire building and ruined art supplies, some art education books, frames and various pieces of artwork. All of the flooring in the gallery was damaged and has been removed.

“The back room had to be fully gutted, so the Board of Directors decided to pull together a plan to upgrade the Art Center’s plumbing, check the electrical system for efficiency and safety, re-configure the back room and kitchen space to allow for better storage solutions and to provide a larger classroom and meeting room space,” said the Brownwood Art Association’s Sharon Cook. “The good news is the Art Association has insurance and the damaged areas will be covered.

“For the changes we would like to make to improve the Art Center, they will take additional funds that are not in our current budget. We have been blessed by several of our members and friends of the Brownwood Art Association who have volunteered countless hours to clean, move and remove items that were damaged and many have made monetary donations to help the cause.”

The Art Center will remain closed until renovations are completed which may take several months.

“We are looking forward to returning to our mission of providing quality art exhibits, photography and art education classes in the near future,” Cook said.

The Brownwood Art Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and anyone wishing to make a tax-deductible donation may mail a check or donate via credit card on its website, www.brownwoodart.com (select – Please include your name/address so that a receipt for your donation may be returned to you.