The life’s work of many Brooklyn and NYC artists have been destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. As a writer, even though our creative and intellectual labors are now protected by the cloud, I still feel a deep aching grief at the thought of helplessly watching the tide take something so personal, something you have invested your heart and soul and life into creating that can never be reproduced.
But if we prove anything over and over and over again in this city, it’s that communities come together in times of tragedy to help rebuild and rise again. Artists have begun helping each other salvage, scrap and rebuild studios and galleries. Likewise, artist and attorney Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento has volunteered to provide free legal advice about artist’s rights and how to proceed getting compensated for lost or damaged artworks, studios and living areas. New York-based visual artists or arts nonprofits who were affected by Hurricane Sandy are encouraged to call him at (347) 763-2023.
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There are some artists up in the Hudson Valley and Catskills who would like to do an on-line auction with half or more of the proceeds going to help artists in Brooklyn who were damaged by Sandy. Is there any organization you could recommend we hook up with - any local artists council, for example - so that we could send the money to a charity and know it was being used for the purpose we wanted?
Go here asap: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/events/16783?utm_source=cmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=e110312_gdl
"MoMA has also issued Immediate Response for Collections, a document that offers guidelines for dealing with art damaged by flooding. It offers step-by-step measures that can be taken to conserve artworks in a variety of mediums, including library and archive collections, which have been damaged by water. It also includes a list of suppliers and emergency services that can provide some of the services listed in the document.
The American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the national association of conservation professionals, is offering free emergency response assistance to cultural organizations. Call AIC's 24-hour assistance number at (202) 661-8068 for advice by phone. Call (202) 661-8068 to arrange for a team to come to the site to complete damage assessments and help with salvage organization."