A weekend fire damaged one of Columbia's creative hubs. Here's how you can help

Art is not a luxury, but it can be a lean enterprise even in the best of times. Creators desire strong, sustainable relationships with patrons and engaged community members.

A weekend fire at Orr Street Studios brought something like the worst of times to one of Columbia's creative hubs, and now the gallery and studio space is calling on the community for support.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the North Village Arts District venue with maintenance and recovery after the fire early Sunday, which displaced artists and damaged and destroyed their artworks.

More: Weekend fire at Orr Street Studios damages artwork, displaces artists

"The total building is w/o electricity and unusable for an indeterminant time," the GoFundMe page notes.

Orr Street contains artist studio spaces and a public-facing gallery. The venue is also used by Columbia festivals and for private events.

The campaign seeks to raise $10,000 and, as of Wednesday morning, a little more than $4,000 had been pledged. Orr Street Studios plans to use the money for a variety of purposes, including:

• Recompense for artists who lost work and supplies
• Replacing lost income from event rentals and art sales
• Temporary office space until the building can be used again
• Cleaning expenses
• "Enhanced security and emergency communication devices"

Learn more about Orr Street's needs and check out the campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-orr-street-studios-recover-after-significant-fire .

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: A weekend fire damaged one of Columbia's creative hubs. Here's how you can help