A group of over 40 arts institutions, foundations, and donors including the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Trust have launched a $12 million and growing relief fund for artists affected by the catastrophic Los Angeles fires.
The Los Angeles Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, announced Wednesday evening, January 15, will serve artists and cultural workers of all disciplines through emergency grants administered through the nonprofit Center for Cultural Innovation. The fund’s application opens on Monday, January 20, with more information to be released soon.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and Ford Foundation are among the fund’s donors. In its announcement, the Getty said the destruction of residences, archives, and studios has delivered a blow to thousands in the region and to the “creative economy” more broadly.
Galleries including Gagosian and Hauser & Wirth have also contributed to the fund alongside Frieze art fair, though the amounts donated by each organization will not be made public, a spokesperson told Hyperallergic. In a separate email announcement, the Warhol Foundation disclosed that it had donated $1 million to the fund.
Artists who spoke to Hyperallergic reported destroyed homes, studios, and entire bodies of work in the aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which tore through residential areas last week. In the wake of the loss, community members have launched mutual aid drives and GoFundMe campaigns. Other artists and institutions started fundraising raffles and art sales to contribute to the fire relief efforts. Total damage from the fires is projected at over $250 billion by some estimates.
Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in the announcement that the fund seeks to meet the urgent needs of art workers who “so strongly define LA.”
“Los Angeles is home to one of the world’s most prolific and creative groups of artists and people working to support our many artists, galleries, and art institutions,” Michael Govan, CEO and director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, said in a press release, noting that artistic centers and cultural heritage in Altadena were particularly hard-hit.