Artwork damaged in 2017 storm returns to Georgia museum

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — Artwork damaged when a violent storm tore the roof from a Georgia museum five years ago is going back on display for a summer exhibit.

Staff at the Albany Museum of Art scrambled to save its collection in January 2017 as rain poured into the building for hours. More than 2,000 pieces were sent to Chicago to be treated for damage, WALB-TV reported, while others went into storage in Atlanta.

“It was definitely shocking to see the museum in such a state, but we didn’t have time to sit with our mouths open,” said Katie Dillard, the museum’s director of curatorial affairs. “We had to jump into action.”

Dillard helped pack up the artwork in the storm’s aftermath, and now she’s unpacking it as the pieces return home. Restoration took several years, she said, as experts in Chicago performed tedious work such as extracting water from wooden pieces. The coronavirus pandemic further slowed the job.

An exhibit of the restored art will open in May and run until August.

“We’re just proud to have it all back and we’re excited to share it with the community again,” Dillard said.

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