Local artists association sets up GoFundMe page after fire
SCAA sets goal of $10,000 to replace essential items lost in incident
For their 30th anniversary, members of the Santa Clarita Artists Association did not think they would celebrate their success with a loss.
Plans to celebrate with a “special event” were on the calendar but priorities shifted after the nonprofit association lost thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment and supplies when a storage fire gutted their unit and several others last week.
“Everyone is in a little bit of a shock,” said SCAA President Charlotte Mullich. “Because we turned 30, we planned to have an event to do something special this year, but we are going to need some help (to recover).”
To replace essential items lost to the fire, board members set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising a minimum of $10,000. By Tuesday afternoon, two days after the page was set up, a total of $905 had been raised in addition to other monetary donations by residents and local organizations, said Mullich.
On the evening of Jan. 7, a fire at Extra Storage at the end of Hollywood Way off of Cinema Drive destroyed multiple items owned by the artists association. The items were stored in a unit located directly behind where the blaze originated.
The equipment was damaged and destroyed by the fire, water and soot. Among the items lost included more than 30 exhibit panels valued at $8,000, lighting for panels, metal grid panels for displaying artwork, 8-foot plastic folding tables and several donated artworks from members stored for future fundraising.
“Because we’re a nonprofit, we only had liability and not property insurance,” said Mullich, who started as president of the association on Jan. 1. “It’s been bittersweet with the fire but also remodeling a small gallery in Newhall. It’s been a rollercoaster of events.”
While the goal is to reach $10,000 in donations, SCAA said in its GoFundMe page that if donations surpass that amount, “Our association will use the money to promote the visual arts to our community with pop-up galleries at various locations around town as we have done since our inception.”
Since 1989, the association has offered free art opportunities for members of the community, with or without experience, through outreach programs. SCAA also awards scholarships to high school and college students in Santa Clarita. If additional funds are collected, the association will be able to offer additional scholarships to more than its usual three recipients.
To find out more about SCAA and to access the GoFundMePage, visit santaclaritaartists.org.