ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On January 24, a fire took the life of one Escanaba man and destroyed two downtown businesses. The heavy smoke caused damage to the art inside the neighboring East Ludington Gallery, leaving all of its artists without a place to show their work.
Bonifas Arts Center Gallery Director Kate Oman says when she saw the damage that morning, she felt her heart sink in her chest.
“I knew that the artists were losing their artwork,” said Oman. “I said, ‘As a person, I can’t do much, but as a gallery director, I can move my schedule around.'”
“The Bonifas immediately jumped in to offer us an art exhibit to give us somewhere to put our art,” said East Ludington Gallery President Sandy Wilson. “We have a very long history with the Bonifas, so we really appreciate that.”
According to Wilson, 20 East Ludington Gallery artists have their work on display at the Bonifas. Many pieces are available for sale, while others were donated for a bucket raffle.
“Some of the art was in the old building and was able to be cleaned,” Wilson said. “Some of the artists have some new work that they were able to work on since January. To have it here, letting people see their work, it’s just been very nice.”
The East Ludington Gallery is preparing to move into its new permanent home at the former Morrison Shop in early May.
“It’s a complete different setup than what we’ve had in the past,” said Wilson. “We’re going to come back stronger and more efficient. We’re going electronic for our sales, so it’ll be a quicker checkout situation. We’re just really excited to get back to the community.”
In the meantime, Wilson says the artists are grateful for the generosity of the Bonifas.
“It gave them hope,” she said. “It will give our customers a chance to see what we have coming and sort of keep them excited for our grand opening. We’ve been here since 1981 and plan to stay for many more years after.”
“Our mission is to reach everyone in the community with the arts,” said Oman. “Especially because it was such a big community impact on our main street here, we feel that this helps tie all of those pieces together to help meet our mission here at the Bonifas.”
The East Ludington Gallery Invitational runs through May 2. Bucket raffle tickets are available to purchase at the front desk for $5 each or $20 for five. All proceeds will benefit the East Ludington Gallery.
Click here for more information about this and future exhibits at the Bonifas Arts Center. Follow the East Ludington Gallery on Facebook for updates on the grand opening.
