Fundraiser held to benefit Riverwest artists after fire

MILWAUKEE -- Artists in Riverwest lost their livelihoods when everything they owned went up in flames following a fire at Joe's Auto Repair.  It destroyed more than just the garage, but also the building that housed artists and their galleries. Saturday, August 4th the community came together to help them get back on their feet.

Community members admired artwork adorning the walls of Sweet Water Organics, with a goal on their minds and hope in their hearts.

“It's tragic what  happened, so we're here supporting painters and artists and hoping to raise money for disaster relief," Solomon Juneau said.

“I couldn't imagine at any point that I started dedicating my life to artwork that it was gone overnight. It was lost. I had to participate," artist Reginald Baylor said.

Sympathizing with his fellow artists, Baylor and others donated artwork for an auction to help.

"That does mean a lot that they may be able to make some money off it at a different location. It says a lot about the community we have here in Milwaukee,” organizer Paul Kjelland said.

The fundraiser also included a raffle to support the artists. Those who participated said they felt like they were contributing, but also gaining something much greater.

“To have something that has a memory and story behind it that I can actually pass on to my children and the people that come after me--that is what art does for us. It becomes a piece for long term and I will have  a story that I can tell," Heidi Witz said.

The money raised isn't just benefiting the artists, but it's also going to the residents who lived in that space as well as the workers who were displaced from Joe's Auto Repair, the building where the fire started.