Art Association to Hold Reception for Spring Show and Artist of the Year

April 6, 2017 at 3:12 pm brownwoodnewsstaff

Brownwood News – The Brownwood Art Association will host a First Thursday Reception to kick off their Spring Show and honor the 2017 Artist of the Year: Pat Coursey. The reception is free and open to the public and will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Art Center, 215 Fisk Avenue in downtown Brownwood.

The Spring Show will feature works of art submitted by art association members. All of the art will be for sale, and the reception will also feature a silent auction.

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Pat Coursey was honored last year as Photographer of the Year 2016 by the Brownwood Art Association’s Photo Group. Coursey was also chosen as the Brownwood Art Association’s Artist of the Year.

Coursey is a well-known community member, with Center Park renamed in his honor as Pat Courtesy Park. The park was renamed after the former Brownwood city councilman in February of 2012 based on significant and lasting contributions to the City of Brownwood.

Coursey moved to Brownwood with his parents as an infant and has been a lifelong resident, graduated from Brownwood High School in 1958 and attended Howard Payne College (now University).

Some of his contributions to the community include:

Helping wake and ultimately save a family from a house fire in 1969 with a friend, Joe Sones.
Member of the Brownwood Jaycees, helping to organize their first Rattlesnake Roundup.
Member of the Brownwood Rotary Club
Chairman of the Brown County Historical Society in 1979, helped to get the old county jail donated for use as a museum (now the Brown County Museum of History), saving it from possible demolition and helping to raise over $70,000 for its renovation/restoration.
City Councilman for 21 years (1983-2003). During this time the new Aquatic Center and Bert Massey Sports Complex were voted in; however he retired before they became an actuality. He also contributed to the renovation of Riverside Park
Helped in securing names for the Truman Harlow Overpass, Bill Monroe Overpass (honoring the former Mayor of Brownwood), Shelton Drive (in honor of George M. Shelton, the only Congressional Medal of Honor recipient born in Brown County), and the T.R. Havins Unit (in memory of Dr. T.R. Havins, longtime History Professor at HPU, Brown County author and former member of the Prison Board of Directors).
Representative of the West Central Texas Council of Governments board, serving as the board president in 1990-1991, playing an instrumental part of bringing TSTC to Brownwood.
Member of the Hospital Authority Board from 1994-2002, twice serving as its president.
Member of the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors (2004-2010).
Influenced the renovation of downtown Brownwood when Center Avenue was rebuilt, was instrumental in securing the grounds where the original JC Penney building once stood, so that a city park could be built for the public to enjoy, which was named Center Park, now renamed Pat Coursey Park.