The recent wildfires in Los Angeles County have left behind a trail of destruction, loss, and uncertainty for the city’s artists, musicians, and creatives, many of whom lost homes, studios, archives, and tools essential to their livelihoods.
While the Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods were hit hardest, the art community is rallying together to rebuild and support those affected.
The Night of Devastation
Anthony Obi, known professionally as Fat Tony, recalls the night of January 7 when he expected a storm to bring only minor damage and temporary power outages. Instead, he awoke to news of the devastating fire that had reduced thousands of homes to ash, including his.
“All of my stuff that is related to Fat Tony music that was in that house is gone, and it was the motherlode of it,” Obi said.
The Eaton Fire destroyed homes in Altadena, while wildfires in Pacific Palisades also caused significant damage to the artistic hubs where filmmakers, musicians, and visual artists live and work.
Andrea Bowers, a visual artist helping with recovery, highlighted the unique nature of the loss:
“So many members of our community lost everything. They lost all their artworks and their archives — that’s irreplaceable, a lifetime of labor and research.”
Salomón Huerta, a conceptual artist, lost slides and archives he had planned to digitize for a book project.
“A lot of my collectors lost their homes,” Huerta said. “I’m hoping that there’s support so the art scene can still thrive. But it’s going to be tough.”
A Network of Support: Grief and Hope
In the aftermath of the fires, conceptual artist Kathryn Andrews, who has faced wildfires before, co-founded Grief and Hope, a relief initiative aimed at supporting displaced artists. The organization’s goal is to provide financial aid and community resources.
“Our primary goal is getting people triage money for whatever their most urgent need is,” said Ariel Pittman, one of the co-founders.
Key Details of Grief and Hope:
- Fundraising Success: The effort began with a GoFundMe campaign aiming for $500,000 and has now raised over $940,000 of a new $1 million goal.
- Application Process: Over 450 artists have applied for assistance through surveys, and funds are being distributed based on need.
- Volunteer Support: The organization has teams helping with medical needs, safety, renter issues, and other community concerns.
“These are people who have made long-term commitments to building community and sustainability around artists,” Pittman said.
The Emotional and Financial Toll
The fires didn’t just destroy homes and personal belongings—they also wiped out essential creative tools.
Photographer Joy Wong, who described Altadena as a “pocket of heaven,” evacuated safely with her family but lost her home and studio of eight years.
“I didn’t want to leave. We were just so in love with this house,” Wong said.
Obi, Wong, and Huerta have all created GoFundMe pages to help replace instruments, photography gear, and recording equipment.
“I’m applying to everything,” said Obi. “I’ve got to replace my instruments and equipment, but we’ll make it work.”
Wong acknowledged the outpouring of support from friends, family, and colleagues but emphasized that rebuilding will take time.
“It’s going to be a long road, but it’ll be OK,” she said.
Rebuilding the LA Art Scene
Bill Dunleavy, co-founder of Superchief Gallery, sees the disaster as an opportunity to address long-standing issues in LA’s art infrastructure.
“Quite a lot was lost, and it’s going to affect rent prices, studio availability, and the overall art market,” Dunleavy said.
He and creative director Celina Rodriguez quickly transformed their gallery into a donation center, gathering essentials like clothing, art supplies, and equipment. With over 150 volunteers, they are working directly with displaced families to ensure they have daily necessities.
“This has shown us the power of self-organizing, and we’re thinking about expanding this work into non-profit initiatives,” Dunleavy said.
Rodriguez urged freelance artists not to abandon Los Angeles despite the losses.
“We’ve lost so many of the locations we used for shoots and creative projects, but we have to come together and figure out how to keep working in LA,” she said.
Long-Term Vision for Recovery
Grief and Hope, along with other relief efforts, is emphasizing the need for affordable housing and studio spaces as key components of a sustainable future for artists. By ensuring that artists can continue working and creating, LA’s art scene has a chance to rebuild and thrive.
“I’ve been so impressed by the amount of compassion people have shown,” Dunleavy said. “I hope that sense of duty continues for years to come.”
Although the road ahead is challenging, the outpouring of support from the community demonstrates that LA’s art scene is resilient. With relief efforts, donations, and creative solutions, artists like Fat Tony, Joy Wong, and Salomón Huerta are determined to rebuild their lives and keep the creative spirit of Los Angeles alive.