Harvey Damages John Biggers' Mural

An aging roof springing a leak is typically something only a homeowner would be worked up about. But when water is dripping above a million-dollar work of art by Houston muralist John Biggers, it's a national artistic emergency.

Contribution of Negro Women to American Life and Education - a 1953 piece depicting the strength of matriarchs, pioneers and survivors - 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.

Who is John Biggers?


John Biggers, born in 1924, was among the young black artists whose work was included in a landmark exhibit at New York City's Museum of Modern Art in 1943. He was recruited to what became Texas Southern University in 1949 to start and chair its art department. The Cradle, a 1950 Biggers drawing, is considered the cornerstone of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's African-American collection and is included in an exhibition of black art on display through April. Biggers was 76 when he died in 2001. 

Jimmy Castillo, the Houston Arts Alliance's civic art and design collection manager, keeps track of the city's public art collection - which includes Biggers murals at the Wortham Theater Center downtown and the Houston Public Library branch on Reed Road.

The Mural


The gauzy and intense Blue Triangle mural features Harriet Tubman, who led enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad, and Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and women's rights activist, as dominant figures. The piece also depicts the work of 18th century poet Phillis Wheatley as well as the detailed hands and feet of laborers to portray working people. The mural includes images of young and old and depicts black women as dominant figures.  

Charlotte Kelly Bryant, the Blue Triangle association's founding president and current executive director, said a decade-old appraisal estimated the painting's value at $1.3 million.

Michael Rosenfeld, whose New York City gallery represents the Biggers estate, said the mural is worth even more. He estimates a major piece of public art, like the one at the Blue Triangle center, is worth between $2 million and $3 million.

"The value of this work to America is priceless," he said. "John Biggers is a very important artist. The subject and the narrative of the piece is extraordinary. It depicts the black experience - the good and the bad. It's a powerful work. The execution is masterful. The subject is as good as it gets."

Biggers created the painting six decades ago when the building was owned by the Blue Triangle YWCA, which served black women and girls for decades in segregated Houston. The work, a commission from a local pastor, became the basis of Biggers' doctoral dissertation.

Since acquiring the community center in 2000, the Blue Triangle organization has used its shoestring budget to patch the roof. For additional income, the center rents the room with the historic mural. But more than a decade later, a bandage is now considered poor prevention for a pending disaster.

Now, deeply concerned Blue Triangle supporters fear that water will claim the priceless piece if the resources don't come through quickly to fix the roof.

Waterproof solution

The Blue Triangle building, a state historic landmark registered with the Texas Historical Commission, includes a gymnasium, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms and indoor pool. Association supporters are working to preserve the community center, its programs and the mural.

Our goal is to raise $205,000 to completely replace the panoply of roofs that cover the entire 10,000-square-foot community center complex.

A national treasure

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery director Halley Harrisburg said the mural could be a strong candidate for the support of foundations and other grant makers. 

"This certainly is a national treasure that needs our serious attention," she said. "I think that the art world at large would be very, very interested. It's an extraordinary example of John Biggers' work and his devotion to making his art and his images accessible to the public. His easel painting, in a sense, suffered because of his commitment to public commissions such as this."

He said the importance of securing the mural cannot be overstated. "Dr. Biggers will never make any more work like that, so as time goes on, they become more rare and more valuable and, if they're damaged, they become less valuable."

Additional links

Iconic Houston mural threatened due to leaky roof

Interested donors reach out to save endangered Biggers mural