Members of the Brownwood Art Association held a reception for donors Saturday afternoon, September 10, 2011 to show the results of Phase II of their Capital Improvements Campaign to renovate the Art Center at 215 Fisk.
Complete with raised bead-board ceiling, wood laminate flooring, pendant and track lighting and much more; the gallery has a fresh new, upscale décor which will showcase art exhibits while being functional for workshops and more.
“This is a big transition, we had a lot of good people working,” stated General Contractor Kit Timmins who also serves as the Brownwood Art Association Parliamentarian this year. “Everyone who worked on it was wonderful.”
Timmins spoke highly of the subcontractors who worked on all aspects of the project:
- Electrician Terry Lambert, who had a huge job of rewiring according to Timmins.
- General Carpenter Don Bishop (assisted by his brother Tim Bishop), who was there from the first day tearing out the drop ceiling and conduit until the night before the reception when he nailed the last moldings in place.
- Rich and Aaron Cone, who installed the four heat pump units which are remote controlled, efficient and which promise to reduce electrical bills for the association.
- Heart of Texas Wall and Floor Covering, Buddy Dawson
- LaPaz Floor Covering, Manuel & Felipe
- Wayne Morgan of Goldthwaite who installed the insulation
- Members of the Art Association who did the wall painting: John & Ann Willard, Christopher Gaston, Sandra McSwain, and Melanie Naylor.
“I really love the way it turned out,” stated Timmins. “As I ordered parts, I couldn’t wait to see how it all went together. It turned out just as I had hoped.”
The donors who have supported the project were also thanked and included the Women’s Club of Brownwood, the Woodruff Foundation and the Lower Colorado River Authority who all provided grants to the Art Association.
Fundraising projects which started the Capital Improvement Campaign included the Picasso and Art in your Attic event.
President Melanie Naylor thanked Timmins for the countless hours and dedication she had in the project.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Naylor. “Kit spent a lot of time here this summer. We are so proud of how it turned out.”
In appreciation of Timmins for being the general contractor, the association dedicated their yearbook to her which features an image of one of Timmins oil paintings, “Old Friends.” It was painted by Timmins during the paint-off competition for the 11th Stars of Texas Annual Exhibit in February of 2009.
The yearbook features a dedication page which reads:
“This yearbook is dedicated to: Kit Timmins for her vision and ability to oversee the fundraising and contracting of the renovation of the Art Center. She has spent countless hours, days, weeks and months being our project manager. She has picked out beautiful colors, flooring, ceiling and carpeting as well as overseeing the work crew to get things done in a timely fashion. Thank you Kit.”
Now that the gallery remodeling is complete, the Art Association is looking forward to their grand opening event at the Art Center – the Brownwood Reunion Celebration Photography contest, which began accepting entries Sunday, September 11th. A drawing and acrylic class will be the first instructional event to be held in the new gallery.
“I am really excited for those putting entries into the contest – they will be the first that are exhibited in the gallery,” said Naylor.
The Reunion photo contest entries will be on display the weekend of September 16-18.
The Brownwood Art Association has a membership of over 80 artists who plan to continue the Capital Improvement Campaign which will include remodeling the kitchen and storage areas of the Art Center in the future.
Pictured above is Timmons receiving a copy of the yearbook dedicated in her honor from Naylor.
Pictured left to right are Brownwood Art Association members: Kay Beth Stavley, John Willard, Jody Cox, Ann Willard, Kathryn Jones, Julie Mize, Melanie Naylor, Nelle Coursey, Michelle Bock, Pat Coursey, Brenda Shaw, Kit Timmins, Kim Hurt, Christopher Gaston, Sandra McSwain, and Sandra Blasingame.
