South Atlanta artists are raising money after a fire destroyed the main building at South River Art Studios on Nov. 12.
DeKalb County firefighters arrived at South River Art Studios – four acres of unused land and warehouses turned into 45 artist studios, gallery, and event spaces in South Atlanta – shortly after 4 a.m. to find the main warehouse engulfed in flames.
Owner and sculptor Phil Proctor told ArtsATL that there was smoke and water damage to 100 percent of the building, and he doesn’t yet know if the building is salvageable.
“Even the parts that didn’t burn are not habitable at the moment,” he said.
Proctor estimated that around 25 to 30 studios were completely destroyed, including welder Ryan Durrett’s, who’s fundraising to cover the decade of work that was destroyed.
“I lost at least $50,000 worth of tools, equipment, and materials,” Durrett wrote on his GoFundMe. “…In addition to tools, I lost years’ worth of work of mine. From sculptures, to wooden boxes, to my office that I recently built for my girlfriend to work alongside me. These are all sentimental things that cannot be replaced.”
Durrett says his insurance will not cover the losses. In only two days, he has raised over $40,000 of his $73,000 goal. More than $34,000 has been raised for other impacted artists. The designers and carpenters who built Bar ANA are raising $16,000, digital designer Hannah Hendricks is raising $2,600, carpenter John Cable is raising $8,000, sculptor Jess Self is raising $5,000, and Aaron Jefferson is raising $9,000 to support other displaced artists.
Mayor Andre Dickens’ office shared a letter on Nov. 17 with Rough Draft standing in “full support” of the artists affected by the fire.
“This loss is significant,” the Mayor wrote. “We know that many Atlantans lost studios, art, and livelihoods in this tragic event… To the artists at South River Art Studios: we stand with you, and our city’s cultural identity is stronger because of your work.”
No one was inside the building when the fire started, and no injuries were reported, according to Fox 5. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.
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This story was updated on Nov. 17 with input from Mayor Andre Dickens and fundraising updates.
