Leading arts organizations including the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), MOCA Los Angeles, and the Hammer Museum have launched a $12 million fund to aid artists and art workers affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. Among the growing list of supporters are mega-galleries Gagosian and Hauser & Wirth.
The L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, will provide immediate financial support to members of the arts community who have lost homes, studios, or employment due to the fires. Applications for aid will open on January 20th at 9 a.m. PST and can be submitted through the Center for Cultural Innovation’s website.
Since January 7th, the wildfires have caused extensive damage across Los Angeles, resulting in at least two dozendeaths and the destruction of more than 40,000 acres. According to preliminary estimates, two fires—the Palisades and Eaton wildfires—are among the five worst fires in California history.
“People around the world are watching in horror as vast areas of Los Angeles burn, but this regional tragedy has global cultural repercussions,” says Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. “Amid the losses suffered by the artists and arts workers who so strongly define L.A., Getty is grateful to the many partners, local, national, and international, who have come together to meet the urgent needs of this community.”
Contributors to the fund include a number of artist foundations, including the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, the Willem de Kooning Foundation, the David Hockney Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.
Additional contributions have come from major philanthropic entities like the Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation, as well as international arts organizations including Frieze and Qatar Museums. Directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have also pledged their support through their respective foundations.
“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,” the Mohn Art Collective (which includes LACMA, MOCA, and the Hammer Museum) said in a joint statement. “In particular, the fire-ravaged neighborhoods in Altadena are long-time home to an astounding concentration of artists and art workers. Our local spirit of collaboration is being evidenced right now. And we’re immensely grateful to those outside L.A. offering support.”
In response to the wildfires, local and international arts organizations have launched several programs to help support artists across Los Angeles. Galleries including Hashimoto Contemporary and Anat Ebgi are among those hosting sales to raise funds for affected artists.
For more information on fundraising initiatives and supply drop-offs, see Artsy’s full list of resources. If you have additional relief efforts or fundraisers to highlight, email us at [email protected] with the subject line “LA wildfire resources.”
