In 2007, dozens of huge wildfires burned parts of Southern California so badly that afterward they looked like the surface of the moon, doing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Last year, unfortunately, Texas dealt with something very similar, thanks in part to the worst single-year drought in state history. So here’s ART From the Ashes, a nonprofit support group founded after the California wildfires, coming down to lend some support and some manpower. AFtA’s modus operandi is deceptively simple: Go to fire-damaged areas, reclaim some damaged stuff – tree limbs, shrubs, ash, that sort of thing – make art with it, and sell the art to raise funds to replant those damaged areas. It’s like the ouroboros, almost. Anyway, AftA has established a gallery at the Starr Building to house and display the art, and they’ve trucked in seventy pine trees from Bastrop State Park to help set the mood. It runs through May 5. (FULL ARTICLE: Robert Faires, Austin Chronicle)