Image: Cindy George | Houston Chronicle
As Hurricane Harvey recedes into the distance, stories continue to emerge about the people and places affected by the Category 4 storm. The Houston Chronicle is reporting that an indoor mural, Contribution of Negro Women to American Life and Education, by John Biggers sustained damage due to a leaky roof. The precarious situation of the 1953 mural was clear long before Harvey hit — back in January of 2016 the organization housing the mural, the Blue Triangle Multi-Cultural Association, attempted to raise money to fix their leaky roof. All in all, they needed either $50,000 for a temporary fix, or $200,000 for a complete repair. Needless to say, fundraising efforts never met either goal.
The mural is currently covered in black mold, and the damage “appears to be worsening.” Charlotte Kelly Bryant, the Blue Triangle Multi-Cultural Association’s founding president, told the Chronicle “I am absolutely astonished at the damage that has been done… Unless the roof above it is replaced, it’s going to be a lost cause. I ask the prayers of everybody as we beg for assistance.”
Image: Cindy George | Houston Chronicle
This unfortunate situation for Contribution of Negro Women to American Life and Education comes only months after another Biggers mural, A History of Education in Morris County, was restored by the Tyler Museum of Art in collaboration with administrators from Northeast Texas Community College and Pewitt ISD school district officials.
To read artists’ stories about Hurricane Harvey, please go here. To see how other Texas art spaces faired, go here. If you are an artist affected by the storm, here is a list of emergency resources.
