A free concert this Friday from the Long Beach Camerata Singers (LBCS) will raise money towards rebuilding Open Gallery, which was destroyed in a car crash on Feb. 24.
The community gallery opened in 2019, and the crash, allegedly caused by a drunk driver, ruined original works of art as well as the five years of hard work and the home above the gallery poured into the establishment. The crash also destroyed the home of gallery owners Artos Saucedo, Liz Garibaldi and their son, as it was located directly above the gallery.
A Gofundme donation page has raised $42,815 of the set $150,000 goal to rebuild the gallery as of April 9.
Open Gallery was slated to host the concert and an accompanying exhibit as part of the Long Beach Arts Council Creative Corps Collaboration before the car crash, according to a statement from the LBCS.
“After considering a number of alternatives, it became obvious that the concert should go on as scheduled, but as a fundraiser for Open Gallery,” LBCS said in a public statement.
The concert will be free, with all donations going towards the rebuilding efforts of Open Gallery. LBCS Artistic Director James K. Bass will perform excerpts from their social justice-themed 2023 Peace Project, “THE WORTH OF WATER.” The piece focuses on the importance of water as a life-giving resource, while metaphorically relating to the goal “of bringing Open Gallery back to life through the support of the Long Beach artistic community,” LBCS said in a statement.
The fundraiser concert on Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m. is free and open to everyone in the community at Grace First Presbyterian Church at 3955 N. Studebaker Road. Free parking is available, and donations for Open Gallery will be accepted at the door.