As Angelenos suffer catastrophic losses as ongoing fires destroy entire works, materials, studios, family heirlooms, and homes, arts workers are stepping up to help meet the growing need for recovery assistance.
Last week, artists, studios and galleries launched art sales and raffles to benefit firefighting efforts. Proceeds from these efforts benefit affected individuals, mutual aid networks, and national organizations such as the American Red Cross. Some of these sales and sweepstakes are summarized in the list at the end of this article.
Thomas Pilnik and his husband, Jake Carvallo, who run the Los Angeles design studio Feia, safely evacuated their Highland Park neighborhood without any damage to their home.
“I realized how much of what I was cultivating around me held a whole universe of meaning, and how devastated I would be if I lost it all,” Pilnik said allergiesc.
The couple is now hosting a raffle on Feia’s website for three of Pilnik’s artworks, including a large tufted cigar sculpture, a ceramic orange and a pair of dice. Funds raised through the raffle ($15 per entry) will be donated to individual artists on GoFundMe and the Los Angeles Mutual Aid Network.
“This series of fires has filled Los Angeles with grief,” Pilnick said. “We can do our part to provide solidarity, empathy and some solid footing so that those who have lost everything can quickly build new meaning, new foundations and a clear path forward.”
Outside of Los Angeles, artist and recent Columbia University graduate Lolo Dederer has been selling linoleum prints on her Instagram account since Friday, January 10. Dederer, who currently lives in Washington, D.C., is asking for a donation of at least $10 in exchange for her prints, which depict a heart with phrases like “Los Angeles Forever.”
Dederer, who has less than 1,000 followers on her Instagram Story, raised $450 in one post and donated it to a GoFundMe to help an Altadena family affected by the Eaton Fire Lost home.
“It feels empowering to unite my community and offer something that brings joy and comfort, and that can be a powerful tool to help people,” Dedler told us allergic.
Dederer said she chose Linocut media because of its relative efficiency, which allows her to produce many prints in a relatively short period of time. “I would encourage other artists to use [their skills] To redirect funds at this time — people underestimate how useful it can be as a fundraising tool,” Dedler said.
Below is a list of arts fundraisers to aid fire recovery efforts. Notice allergic It is not possible to review each sale individually.
- Lottery form: Design Studio Sweepstakes ends Wednesday, January 15th at 5pm PT. Tickets can be purchased on the Feia website for $15.
- Mutual Linoleum Print Instagram Drive by Lolo Dederer: The minimum donation required is $10 and is ongoing. Funds will be donated to various GoFundMe campaigns, primarily in the Altadena area. Private message the artist to request a print.
- Limited edition print by Shepard Fairey: Series campaign artist Shepard Fairey, known for designing Obama’s “Hope” poster and Kamala Harris’ “Move On” poster, has released a design of a sparrow soaring on flames , symbolizing perseverance. Fairey wrote on Instagram that he will be donating 100% of profits from sales of the Los Angeles-specific designs (which cost $80 each) to the American Red Cross and other vetted organizations supporting California wildfire relief efforts. The print edition goes on pre-order on Monday and will remain on sale until Thursday, January 16 at 12pm PT.
- Alec Egan Arts Fundraiser: The artist was preparing for an exhibition at Anat Egbi Gallery on January 25 when he lost his home, studio and all the artwork he had prepared for the exhibition in the fire. Anat Egbi is selling posters showcasing his 2022 exhibition work Be careful;All proceeds will support Egan. You can purchase the poster here for $100. Additionally, Kinstler Puzzles is selling a 1,000-piece puzzle version of Egan’s painting “Flower Cake (Dessert)” (2022) for $50, with all proceeds donated directly to the artist.
- Hashimoto Contemporary Art Sweepstakes: More than 30 artists, including Devra Fox, Carlos Rodriguez and Madeline Tonzi, donated to a Los Angeles charity raffle hosted by Hashimoto Contemporary galleries in San Francisco and New York. Entry is $10 each and the drawing ends at midnight PT on Wednesday, January 15th.
- Soy Milk Chine-Colé Sweepstakes: Seoul-born, Pasadena-educated artist Soey Milk is raffling off a Chine-Collé gravure print to raise money for affected individuals, including the couple who founded Fugu Fugu Press, an Eaton-based Altadena Letterpress Printing Company destroyed in fire.
- Brendan George Ko butterfly print: Ontario-born photographer known for his nature photography, has worked in new yorker and new york timesis selling prints of two butterfly photos for $220 each. Proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Mutual Aid Network. Private message the artist to order.
- Love LA T-shirt: Brooklyn-based screen printing studio Kingsland Editions is selling a $50 T-shirt design that features the words “New York” and “Los Angeles” with a giant red heart sandwiched between them. Proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Mutual Aid Network. You can order a shirt here .
