Recovery Resources for Winter Street Artists
Fresh Arts is working closely with Houston Arts Alliance, Sawyer Yards campus management, Deal Co. and relief partners to provide recovery resources and related opportunities to benefit artists affected by the Winter Street Studios fire.
If you are a Winter Street artist, please share with your studio neighbors and bookmark this page as we will continue sharing updates and important info.
Join the Winter Street Recovery Facebook group where additional recovery resources are being shared.
WSS ART FUNDRAISER UPDATE
The January 21st Art Sale raised over $11k through the sale of 60 donated works of art plus tips from refreshments donated by local breweries. Nearly 3 dozen individuals volunteered to make this fundraiser possible. Huge thanks to Alexander, Liz, and Karen from the Sawyer Yards team!!
100% of the proceeds were donated to the WSS Disaster Fund.
Recovery Assessment Form for WSS Artists
We respectfully ask that WSS building artists complete this brief assessment form which will help inform and guide immediate and longterm relief efforts.
If you need help filling out this form or need additional support, please reach out to Nicole@fresharts.org
INSURANCE + TAX RESOURCES
WSS Recovery Q&A Session: Insurance, Accounting + Tax Issues
Recorded live on January 20, 2023.
Featured panelists
Jason McLaurin – Attorney, McLaurin Law
Erin Luczak- Personal Risk Advisor, USI Insurance Services
Kathy Ploch- CPA
Topics covered:
* Overview of insurance types and what they cover
* Considerations for making an insurance claim
* What to expect from the insurance adjuster
* Evaluation process and insurance timeline
* Overview of the appraisal process
* Documenting loss and record keeping for insurance and tax purposes
* Overview of the IRS rules on casualty losses and other tax implications
IRS resource:
Business Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Loss Workbook
Publication 584-B
Recommendation from a retired property claims specialist:
“Impacted artists who have either homeowner’s insurance or renters insurance for their primary residence, should give their insurance company a call. While most will not have coverage, as the items in the Winter Street Studios were part of their Schedule C or LLC businesses, that is not universally true and the devil will be in the details. Many policies now include some coverage for small/home businesses because of all the people working from home. For those artists who are not yet making money and don’t have established businesses, they are more likely to have some amount of coverage for possessions that are temporarily outside of their home in their studios. Likely in the $10,000 range. This won’t work for most, but it’s definitely worth a 10-minute phone call for those that have renters/homeowners insurance, as it is possible it will work for a few of them”
FEBRUARY ART CONSERVATION CLINICS WITH TX-CERA + HAA:
CONSERVATION INFO SESSION:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 11AM via ZOOM
SOOT CLEANING WORKSHOPS:
FEBRUARY 14 + 15 from 2 – 5PM @ Silver Street Event Space (2000 Edwards Street)
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Supply Discounts (for Winter Street artists ONLY)
Art Supply on Almeda – 30% Off regular prices in-person through February
- 5301 Almeda Road, Houston, TX 77004 (Large parking lot in back of building)
- Monday – Friday 9am – 6pm
- Saturday 9am – 4pm
- Contacts: Vikki Trammell and Lucy Riggs
- http://www.artsquarestudios.
com/
Natural Pigments – 30% off everything on the website through February
- Use code at checkout: SawyerYards
- *Please only share code within Winter Street Studios.
- www.naturalpigments.com
Artefex – 30% off of everything on the website through February
- Use code at checkout: Spector2023
- Questions? Speak with Anton at Artefex
- www.artefex.bix
HUGE THANKS to Laura Spector (WSS #B4) for facilitating these discounts on behalf of Winter Street artists!
EMERGENCY FUNDING EFFORTS
Emergency Relief Fund for Winter Street Studios by Houston Arts Alliance Disaster Services
Fresh Arts is partnering with Houston Arts Alliance’s Disaster Services program which has activated its Emergency Relief Fund to provide stipends to those affected by the tragic fire at Winter Street Studios.
Please put your name on the list of affected artists by visiting https://bit.ly/3hJMG.
Once submitted, staff will review applications to ensure they are complete and that the applicant has a professional connection with Winter Street Studios. Funds are provided based on need, economic and social vulnerability, and are adjudicated in waves (such as the first 20 applications) through a panel of arts community members that are not HAA board, staff, or family of board or staff. Priority is given to those with the greatest need, greatest damage and greatest economic and social vulnerability.
CERF+ Emergency Relief Grant
Emergency assistance for artists who have experienced a recent, career-threatening emergency, such as an illness, accident, fire, or natural disaster This application will require you to submit the following information:
- Your contact information
- Artist details, including:
- CV, Resume, or Artist Statement
- 5 images of your work*
- 1 artist portrait
- 1 photo identification
- Website or online documentation of art practice
- Emergency details, including:
- The type of emergency you experienced
- Details of the impact and loss you have sustained
- Financial impacts and impacts of your work
- Documentation of your emergency, which may include official documents and/or photos
- 3 Career supporting references
If you have concerns about providing anything listed above, please email heather@craftemergency.org.
*Uploaded files cannot be more than 10MB and all files being uploaded cannot total more than 20MB.
The Haven Foundation Financial relief for freelance artists
The mission of The Haven Foundation is to offer interim financial assistance to freelance professionals in the arts who face crises. The Foundation’s reach is the United States, and its awards are granted with a view to helping individuals overcome temporary adversity and return to full-time work.
Qualified artists must have experienced a recent, unforeseen emergency or triggering event that has significantly and adversely affected the qualified person’s ability to produce, perform and/or market his/her work and, thus, creates the need for immediate relief funds and/or assistance.
Please carefully read the Guidelines for Assistance before applying for a grant.
The Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant
The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program is intended to provide interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation.
Each grant is given as one-time assistance for a specific emergency, examples of which are fire, flood, or emergency medical need.
This program has no deadlines.
To be eligible for this program, an artist must be able to demonstrate a minimum involvement of ten years in a mature phase of his or her work. Artists must work in the disciplines of painting, sculpture or printmaking. Each application will be reviewed by the directors, who will exercise their discretion in considering it, and will determine the amount of each award. Applicants should note there is a set amount appropriated for these grants each fiscal year; once this budgetary limit has been reached, the Foundation will not be able to judge any additional requests on their merits.
RECOVERY RESOURCE INFORMATION
Soot Remediation Resources provided by The Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance (TXCERA)
This is a short selection of information about the challenges of dealing with soot-damaged art. They are observations and a starting point for treatment intended to help stabilize artwork and provide time to make informed decisions during the next steps of recovery. We will continue to search for additional resources and will post these updates on the TXCERA Facebook page.
Please consult a local professional or refer to the AIC – Find A Conservator website for additional contacts and information about treatment.
- Soot and Ash – Video from the FAIC Field Guide to Emergency Response Series (7 min)
- Disaster Recovery: Fire and Soot Damage by Susan Duhl, Art Conservator/Collections Consultant
- AIC News: “The Hidden Hazards of Fire Soot” – By Dawn Bolstad-Johnson, MPH, CIH, CSP
- After the Fire: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures – FEMA
- Comparison of Dry-Cleaning Sponges Used to Remove Soot from Textiles – by Allison M. Anderson
- Soot – AIC Wiki
For more information and resources please visit the TXCERA website, https://www.txcera.org
Resources provided by CERF+
Artist Emotional Help Resources
https://cerfplus.org/studio-protector/resources/artist-emotional-help-resources/
Resources for salvaging artwork (tips + how to’s)
https://cerfplus.org/studio-protector/resources/?_studio_protector_categories=salvage
Winter Street Studios Facebook Groups
WINTER STREET TENANT GROUP
This is the official FB Page for all Winter Street Tenants. Check this page for updates and announcements regarding Tenant meetings, Upcoming events, Volunteer opportunities, and Announcements.
This is also where AAC Members for Winter Street will post information in addition to Winter Street Tenant emails.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/504861081500174
WINTER STREET STUDIOS ART RECOVERY
This group is for questions about all things cleaning and stabilization of artwork damaged by the Winter Street Studio fire bombing in December 2022.
Photos of artwork in need of help, materials used in making work with brands if possible, and photos of where the art was located when removed from your studio.