A damaged water heater flooded parts of Upstairs Artspace over the weekend of August 21.

The contemporary art gallery had just celebrated the opening of three new exhibits on Saturday evening, and because the gallery is closed Sunday and Monday, the leak wasn’t discovered until Tuesday, the 24th. “The good news is that artwork in the exhibits was not damaged,” said gallery manager Merry-Beth Noble.

The flooding was confined to the back of the building on all three floors, containing offices, storage rooms, restrooms and kitchen. “It has been a big mess,” added Noble, who went on to praise the work of First Restoration Services of Hendersonville, a company specializing in disaster cleanup who are working on the interior. At the Upstairs, this work includes disposing of all damaged materials, drying out and repairing floors and replacing walls.

Both staff and board members at the gallery are optimistic about the repair and reconstruction. “It’s a terrific crew,” said board president Cathey Stoney, adding that the gallery will reopen to the public as soon as possible. When the gallery does reopen, the current exhibits will be continued for the usual six week run of an Upstairs show. “We want our viewing public and our artists to not miss out on the full exhibition experience,” commented Noble.

Updates and announcements about the Upstairs closure will be posted regularly on social and printed media, including upstairsartspace.org. People can also call 828-859-2828 and leave a message.

Submitted by Merry-Beth Noble