Amy Hewitt brings her collage skills to help create the hearts for the fundraiser. (Courtesy of Heather Freeman)
Something Durango prides itself on is its sense of community, whether in sports, school or the arts. And boundaries don’t matter, especially when it comes to artists helping artists.
On Friday, a group of artists will converge on the ArtRoom in the Smiley Building to work on 100 heart canvases as a fundraiser for artists in Asheville, North Carolina’s River Arts District who lost their studios and artwork in last month’s Hurricane Helene. Then, on Oct. 25, the pieces of art will be offered up for donation during an open house Heart Party. All money raised will go to the affected artists, said local artist and fundraiser organizer Heather Freeman.
WHAT: Artist Paint Off creating 100 hearts for Hearts for the River Arts District: Fundraiser to Support Asheville Artists Devastated by Hurricane Helene.
WHEN: Friday.
WHERE: Studio 14, ArtRoom at the Smiley Building, 1309 East Third Ave.
NOTE: Artists will come together to paint 100 unique 4 inch by 4 inch heart canvases. Each artist will contribute their own creative mark, making these hearts one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Seats are limited, and those artists who want to join are encouraged to reserve their spot by emailing [email protected].
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WHAT: Heart Launch Party: Donations for Art.
WHEN: 4-6 p.m. Oct. 25.
WHERE: Studio 14, ArtRoom at the Smiley Building, 1309 East Third Ave.
MORE INFORMATION: Email [email protected].
She said she first heard about Helene hitting during the weekend of an Open Studio Tour.
“I started seeing some of the coverage and the devastation that happened, and I started talking with some the people that were coming through my art studio,” Freeman said. “This is just heavy on my heart. I don’t know what to do. And I hate being in that position of feeling helpless and hopeless.”
Deciding to turn those feelings into action, the idea of a fundraiser began to form, and people began to get involved.
“Right now, I have about 10 people coming,” she said Wednesday, adding that she could have just done the work herself, but a bigger impact could be made if more people got involved. “I started talking with artist friends, and I was like, ‘What do you think? Is there a way we could do this logistically, that we could all put our own mark onto these canvases and have them look like they’re part of a bigger collection?’” And the artists turned up with ideas, including Ya’el Pedroza, who created a stamp of North Carolina to use on the hearts.
Ya’el Pedroza created a stamp for North Carolina to add to the hearts. (Courtesy of Heather Freeman)
“I cannot imagine losing everything like that; they need everything, this is their livelihood and their lives,” Freeman said. “To have to deal with that, it’s got to be so traumatic.”