Fundraising efforts have sprouted across the United States to support Angelenos displaced amid the unprecedented destruction from the devastating fires over the last 10 days. This weekend, two art-oriented events right here in New York City have emerged to raise money for affected artists in Los Angeles County, including Black and Latino families from Altadena.
On Saturday and Sunday, four art spaces in Manhattan’s Lower East Side have joined forces for NY4LA, an art fundraiser to raise money for the Grief and Hope GoFundMe with a starter goal of distributing $500,000 in stipends to LA artists. Galleries My Pet Ram, Below Grand, and Entrance along with event venue and bar Beverly’s have pulled together work by 60 artists to sell onsite at Entrance’s space at 48 Ludlow Street.
Each work is priced below $1,000 and can be carried out after purchase from 11am to 8pm on both days. Those who purchase a work on Saturday can drop by Beverly’s from 7pm onward for a free drink.
“NY4LA is a testament to the power of community across coasts, proving that creativity and compassion can bridge any distance — especially in times of crisis,” said Remy Zimmerman, who co-organized the event with fellow artist Anders Lindseth, in an email to Hyperallergic.
As firefighters are working day and night to extinguish the two blazes, the Eaton Fire has destroyed over 7,000 structures and resulted in at least 17 linked deaths, while the Palisades fire, which is only 31% contained as of Friday morning, has destroyed over 3,500 and resulted in at least 10 confirmed deaths, per the Los Angeles Times.
On Sunday, January 19, at 7pm, Canada gallery in Tribeca is hosting a reading featuring novelist Stephanie Wambugu, poet Ariana Reines, film director Peter Vack, and writers Ani Tatintsyan, Riska Seval, Khaholi Bailey, and Alyssa Reeder. Gallerist Tif Sigfrids’s alt-weekly newspaper Umm… organized the event alongside writer Sammy Loren’s literary tabloid On The Rag and counterculture readings series Casual Encountersz.
Visitors can donate to a list of nearly 400 GoFundMe campaigns for Black and Latino residents of Altadena who have lost their homes and workplaces to the Eaton fire, which is now 65% contained as of Friday morning, January 17.
“LA built us both — it’s where we found our voices and our community,” Loren said in a press statement. “When we saw Altadena burning, there was no question we had to bring people together and give back to the city that gave us everything.”
