The Architect
Andrea Clark Brown
Photographer by Vanessa Rogers at the Sugden Community Theatre
The first awakening Andrea Clark Brown experienced that led her to believe she should pursue architecture was brought on by her realization that she was, in her words, a lousy actress. As a young theater amateur relegated backstage to build sets, Brown discovered a penchant for carpentry and manufacturing fictional environments. Perhaps that is why one of her favorite projects since beginning her career around 1980 is the Sugden Community Theatre. “It was an open book for me to produce something that was dramatic in and of itself,” she says. Other projects include the plaza addition to The von Liebig Art Center, St. Agnes Church and the parking structures off Fifth Avenue South, as well as award-winning residences. “For me, the satisfying part is working with people and having their contributions join in with my ability to interpret them in a physical way that is pleasurable and serves not only its purpose,” Brown says, “but also brings new things to the area.” Art is also Brown’s passion. With an artist mother and husband, Brown has always displayed works that move her—first in the front window of her Fifth Avenue office and now in her Up Art and Design Gallery on Eighth Street South. More than an invitation to public viewing, Brown calls the space “a selfish act of self-education.”
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