The Judy and The Reser Were Both Damaged by Burst Pipes During Storm

Added to the growing list of destruction from the snow and ice storm earlier this month are two of the shiniest new arts venues to open in recent years: the Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts, the downtown Portland home of the Northwest Children’s Theater and School, and the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton.

A fire sprinkler burst at Southwest Broadway theater The Judy on Jan. 17, flooding the mezzanine, stage and cinema, though most of its theatrical equipment and major electrical systems were spared.

NWCT had to cancel three days of performances of its current show, Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play! Repairs are ongoing but a restoration team worked “nonstop” so the company could safely get the show back onstage starting tomorrow, Jan. 27. The show runs through Feb. 4.

“We are sorry for the closures and cancellations and heartbroken by the damage to a space we all worked so hard to bring to life less than a year ago,” NWCT said in a statement last week.

At The Reser, an internal sprinkler pipe break is also to blame for water damage to a portion of the lobby ceiling and art galleries on two floors. While damage to the building is “cosmetic, not structural,” according to executive director Chris Ayzoukian, the art gallery was not so lucky.

The Reser had just opened an exhibition called Dialogues: An Emerging Artist Showcase when the storm hit. About 10 of the 40 artworks were damaged when the pipe burst.

One mixed-media work partially made of gelatin was “a total loss,” says Karen De Benedetti, the gallery programs manager, because it collapsed when it was doused with water. Noelle Herceg created her “Jellashells” installation by forming gelatin sheets over various objects and hanging them —the effect was akin to jellyfish swimming in the ocean.

“We’ve had some interesting conversations about the ephemerality of the work and history and memory,” De Benedetti says.

The 15 artists in the show have been notified of the situation. she says, and have taken the news as well as could be expected. “They’ve been very supportive.”

In her nearly 30-year career in the arts, De Benedetti has never had anything like this happen.

“For several of the artists, this is their first big exhibition, and I didn’t want to cancel,” De Benedetti says. “I wanted to really honor and respect that this is the beginning of their career.”

Some of the artists will have to create completely new works for the show, so she has rescheduled the new artist’s showcase exhibition for September. Tentative new title: Dialogues 2.0: The Conversation Continues.