The heavy rain that flooded parts of Stockton over winter break also caused damage to Delta’s L.H. Horton Jr. Art Gallery.
Drains along the entrance to the gallery overflowed following the series of intense rainstorms California experienced during the recent atmospheric river storm. This caused water to leak underneath the wood floor of the gallery, soaking the wood and warping it.
This is not the first time water has damaged the intricately laid wood floor. Just this past September, a burst pipe damaged the wood floor in another section of the gallery floor, necessitating repairs.
This time though, the flood damage was severe enough that it led to the premature closure of the Faculty Art Exhibition.
This diverse collection showcased art made by Delta’s own faculty and staff. It opened on Dec. 1 and was meant to run a few weeks into the spring semester.
The damaged floor has forced professors and faculty to collect their work far earlier than they anticipated. For sculpture professor Gary Carlos, this meant that his piece “Fly Over” is now tucked away in his office instead of on display.
Jan Marlese, gallery director at the Horton Gallery, says the work to repair the gallery floor is still in the beginning stages.
According to Marlese, the damage to the flooring is severe enough that the entire wood floor will have to be removed. The wood floor will be replaced by finished concrete.
Marlese said that although the timeline for repairs is just starting to take shape, the annual student art exhibition will take place on May 4. This exhibition will give students the chance to showcase their own artwork, and is open to all students enrolled at Delta.
“We will be saving this,” said Marlese, motioning to the Delta College emblem that is engraved into a small section of the wood floor near the entrance to the gallery.
A full photo gallery of the artwork showcased at the Faculty Art Exhibition is available to view on deltacollegian.net.