Millions of dollars of art were at risk with a burst pipe in the Georgia Museum of Art

There is an intriquate system in place within the museum to make sure the most important pieces are taken care of

The importance of art to people and the community make it priceless

This week, everyone in Georgia has been stuck in some of the coldest weather ever seen.  It took its toll on water pipes, power cables, and even took a swing at one of the largest collections of art in Georgia.

The Georgia Museum of Art, located on the East Campus of the University of Georgia, had a pipe burst in its basement and closed on Monday. Hillary Brown works at the museum, and she says that the system of organization, with both the prioritization of the artwork to the interconnectedness of the people who work there, that keeps all of the work safe.

Ralph Johnson of the Facilities Management told us cleanup teams got in as soon as they could to clean up the water damage. Water damaged many other buildings, such as Ramsey and Tucker.

Luckily, no artwork was ruined, or even near the where the mini-flood occurred – all of the work not in galleries is stored in vaults on the second floor. The almost 9,000 pieces in the collection is just about the size of the High Museum’s collection in Atlanta. The art sat safely tucked away from the nearly 2 feet of water on the first floor.