Madison County Arts Council celebrates reopening after Helene (original) (raw)

June 9, 2026, 5:06 a.m. ET

MARSHALL - Madison County Arts Council Executive Director Brandon Johnson recalled when Program Director Erich Hubner — the first to make it to the building following Tropical Storm Helene's destruction in September 2024 — had to lay down chairs just to walk across the floor without sinking into the mud.

The building took in more than 6 feet of water. Through hard work and continued determination, the Arts Council team reopened the Marshall building, celebrating with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 4.

Johnson said the reopening is important for the town and county, as there isn't another space that offers its programming and opportunities.

"Lots of people offer music, but we offer concerts — a seated, ticketed experienced, the kind that brings people that stay overnight and eat dinner and do those types of things," he said. "These are local artists that are on the walls here, who get 70% of what their work sells for. This side of town has needed a little bit of gravity, because people have kind of stopped at the corner."

When Helene ripped through the region on Sept. 27, 2024, heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding of many rivers, including the French Broad, which devastated Marshall, destroying homes, roads, bridges and businesses. Helene killed more than 100 people and caused nearly $60 billion in damage across the state.

Marshall Mayor Aaron Haynie told The News-Record the Arts Council's reopening marks another step in maintaining the momentum in the town's Helene rebuild.

"I couldn't be more proud of the town, and the Arts Council's commitment to what they do for arts in the county," Haynie said. "It seems like every day there's something else going on that's showing progress. I think we're on the right path. Days like today confirm that."

Commissioners Matt Wechtel and Alan Wyatt attended the ribbon cutting.

Wyatt said the building represents creativity, imagination, expression and community, and a place where people of all ages can experience the power of the arts.

"The arts enrich our lives in countless ways," he said. "They inspire us, challenge us, bring us together and help us see the world through new perspectives. A thriving arts community contributes not only to our cultural life but also to the vitality and economic strength of our community."

Johnson, 37, was named executive director in June 2024, three months before Helene hit. The Arts Council was able to preserve the building's original floors.

Marshall-based Every Angle Construction began work on the building in July 2025. Before Helene, the Arts Council board of directors had a yearslong capital campaign to reimagine the building, but the storm forced the team to pivot.

"We got to take a breath and say 'Hey, we might not come out with everything we wanted originally, but our building does most of what we need, and it can do some things better," Johnson said. "So, let's take the right step to make the right step for everybody in the community.' I feel like we've been able to do that."

The scope of the work includes repairs to the front windows, building out the local wART FM radio's studio, a new stairwell and elevator, full heating and cooling and added restrooms.

As for the building's upstairs, the repairs included significant work done to the mezzanine area, including adding bathrooms and creating more gallery walls for art spaces.

The first exhibition on display in the gallery's second floor space is Chris Aluka Berry's "Affrilachia: Testimonies." It honors, represents and celebrates the people of color whose history has contributed to the broad tapestry of Appalachia, according to Berry's website. Berry is a self-taught photographer originally from South Carolina and 2026 Guggenheim Fellow.

On the main floor, a show called "Current" featuring new work from an open call of local artists assessed by gallery committee chair Kerstin Davis.

Arts Council staff, including Davis and longtime board member Chuck Rice, lauded Johnson's leadership for helping to execute the rebuild.

"This has been a two-year hard push. We were poised well because we already had ambitions to renovate the building, and we had a really good place to pivot. Between Brandon and having our plan already, we had a lot of creative minds to be able to whittle it down to what we could afford, and we worked with some amazing talent in the community," Davis said.

Rice referred to Johnson as "a go-getter," and someone who the Arts Council was really lucky to have on board.

"Brandon's style of leadership has really made this place happen," said Rice. "He's very passionate. You look around and you'll see that passion in the facilities."

The top floor has always been designed for an educational space, as the Arts Council plans to host workshops and classes in the space.

In an interview with The News-Record in September 2025, Johnson said year-round functionality was the primary focus since the team started looking at rebuilding after the flood damage.

"The true success of this building will not be measured by its architecture alone," Wyatt said, "but by the lives it touches, the ideas it nurtures and the connections it creates."

Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The News-Record & Sentinel and The Citizen Times. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.