The group of seven artists ripped off in this expensive June burglary of their Boylston studio space are mounting a fundraiser to help overcome the loss of more than $50,000 in electronics and equipment boosted in the heist. Details on the effort to raise $10,000 to get the group creating again are below. You can give and learn more about the artists here — 7 Artists Robbed: Help Save Their Livelihood. We also have details of another benefit opportunity tonight in Pike/Pine.

Just as we were getting back on our feet after a fire in our building almost destroyed some of our careers and handicapped our ability to do work six months ago, a burglary took place in late June that kicked us right back down to square one.

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The burglars chiseled through the solid core door to access the deadbolt (an estimated 20-30 minute endeavor according to the police), and pounded a screwdriver to pop open the studio door handle lock. Once in, they spent an estimated 2+ hours rummaging through our space, stealing tens of thousands of dollars in computer and camera equipment.

It’s not just the loss of equipment that’s handicapped us but the loss of work. It’s hard enough being an artist in today’s economy, but we were doing it and we were working our tails off, and now some of us are left with nothing. They stole back-up hard drives from every one of us, including one artist’s hi-res portfolio of his last 22 years of work and computers that contained current projects for clients. The even stole some of our identities including credit and debit cards, checkbooks, a U.S. Passport, and tax documents for the last 10 years. Adding insult to injury, they left an insurance card on the door…commercial insurance is something we all wish we could afford.

The arts are always the first to suffer during hard times. Add a fire and a burglary in a period of six months and this is where we, the artists of Studio 307, stand today. We’re putting this fundraiser together in hopes of being able to continue our dream of working in the arts, replacing some of our stolen equipment and rebuilding our studio to make it happen. (list of stolen stuff here)

We are asking for $10,000 because it’s the minimum we need. Chris needs a camera, lenses, and a laptop to shoot animation  of the monkey and rhino puppets for the web video game he is working on; Brad needs to replace his edit suite to continue work on the educational pilot program videos he has been working on for the last 6 months for the Seattle based Educurious. Your contributions will go toward these projects and more. Chris dreams of building up Seattle as a stop motion animation hub that artists from all over flock to to collaborate on projects—but he can’t do that without his camera, lens and equipment.

Please help us with this dream, and share it with everyone you know—especially if you know an artist or someone else who has been burglarized and knows what it is like to start at square one. We truly appreciate every contribution, no matter how small, and cannot begin to express our thanks for the support we’ve already received from so many of you. If we receive over $10,000, it would be amazing, but replacing the most essential tools will help us get back on our feet, and right now that is what we need most. If we do not reach our entire goal, we will replace pieces bit by bit, and keep working day to day in the hopes that it all comes together somehow.

Sincerely,

The artists of Studio 307

Meanwhile, a few locals are getting together tonight at Vermillion to help a friend in need:

A Call To Arms:

As the fervent nationalism of the 4th of July passes and the dystopic reality foisted upon us by our Baby Boomer predecessors comes into focus; we band together hand in uninsured hand to help the meager and the injured. 

Thomas Jefferson Chapel Crashing head long into the pavement his helmet protected his enormous skull but did little to prevent his two front teeth from being knocked out and on to the searing cement. Fully employed yet under-insuredJefferson

 Chapel  shows himself to be the rule rather than the exception of our broken health care system. 

His friends and colleagues have taken it upon themselves to insure their dear friend, collaborator, employee, roommate, and co-conspirator who through no fault of his own lost his teeth; and has the burden of mounting hospital bills and looming dental surgery pushing him ever closer to the looming abyss of bankruptcy or worse. 

Thomas Jefferson‘s Black Market Bizzare

On Wednesday July 11th; beginning at 7pm Vermillion Gallery and Bar will host a one night extravaganza of music, performance, dance, and black market entrepreneurship. A wretched company of scuzzards, villains, déclassé of all kinds, and lumpen proletariat have been assembled to 

Save Thomas Jefferson Chapel’s Teeth.

With musical performances by: Strong Killings, Agatha, Mtns. and the gritty black metal Wu-Tang mash ups of Garek Jon Druss.

Performance by: dk Pan, Kate Ryan, Aubry Birdwell, BOOM! Theater Company and Dead Bird Movement

Black Market Bizarre featuring work by: Saint Genet and The New Mystics.

A bevy of drink specials courtesy  of Vermillion Gallery and Bar. 

Please help his company of thieves repair our tattered social safety net!

Location: 

Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar

1508 11th Avenue  Seattle, WA 98122

Date: 

Wednesday July, 11th MMXII

Time: 

7pm-2am

Cost: 

$5-15 Suggested Donation.