Interested donors reach out to save endangered Biggers mural

Charlotte Kelly Bryant, left, and ﻿Lucy Bremond hope to preserve the Blue Triangle Multi-Cultural Association's building and John Bigger's mural.﻿ Charlotte Kelly Bryant, left, and ﻿Lucy Bremond hope to preserve the Blue Triangle Multi-Cultural Association's building and John Bigger's mural.﻿ Photo: Steve Gonzales Photo: Steve Gonzales Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Interested donors reach out to save endangered Biggers mural 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

The Blue Triangle community center, home to a prized wall painting by legendary Houston muralist John Biggers, was buzzing on Friday with calls, visitors and television crews interested in how the piece might be saved from an aging, leaky roof.

A Chronicle story in Friday's paper presented the dilemma faced by the nonprofit organization that owns the building and operates on a shoestring budget.

Contribution of Negro Women to American Life and Education - dedicated in 1953 - covers a wall inside a room at the Blue Triangle Multi-Cultural Association's headquarters in Third Ward.

Warped, water-stained ceiling tiles sit directly above the wall where the mural is painted. Center leaders and supporters are facing a national artistic emergency: They must prevent further damage to the mural and find resources for preservation.

Biggers, who died in 2001, was the longtime chairman of the art department at Texas Southern University. He is considered one of the most important black American artists of the 20th century.

Since acquiring the community center in 2000, the Blue Triangle organization has been able to afford to patch the roof, said Charlotte Kelly Bryant, the association's founding president and current executive director. For additional income, the center rents the room with the historic mural.

Waterproofing on the two small roofs that affect the mural would cost $45,000, according to an estimate the group received late last year. Another company quoted $205,000 to completely replace the roofs that cover the entire 10,000-square-foot community center complex.

Contributions via PayPal can be made by visiting www.the-bluetriangle.org and clicking the DONATE button.

"It's been an exciting morning," Bryant said before lunch time Friday as one local TV reporter and photojournalist prepared to broadcast live from the Biggers mural room. "My phone at home doesn't stop ringing."

The calls were in addition to an onslaught of email.

"There is roof damage that needs to be fixed and it's getting consistently worse," said Bryant, who hopes to attract resources for repairs, then begin preservation efforts on the mural in addition to the ongoing upkeep of the community center. The building includes a gymnasium, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms and indoor pool.

"First, they need to get that roof fixed. That's the immediate thing," said Alvia Wardlaw, a Biggers scholar who is curator of the University Museum at TSU.

She said there are several Biggers acolytes in Houston who have the expertise to restore the mural. Bert Samples, a TSU alumnus, Biggers student and muralist in his own right, is a conservation technician who worked on the team that restored Web of Life, a 1958 wall painting at the university.

Lucy Bremond, a member of the Blue Triangle Friends – a group of volunteers who support the nonprofit community center and build awareness – said she had to set aside her Chronicle newspaper on Friday morning to respond to phone calls.

"For me, it's been since 6:30," the retired school district administrator said. "I couldn't even finish reading it because I got phone calls and Facebook messages from people wanting to know: How do I give? How do I help support this effort?"

Bryant and Bremond said center supporters had to steel themselves for the instant avalanche of interest.

"To be quite honest, we weren't prepared, but we are getting prepared right now," Bremond said. "People are wanting to make donations. We're grateful for everybody that wants to help."