Giving hope

Suzie Harrison

The fires in 1993 and the floods in ’98 are two of the hardships that

Laguna residents have had to endure in recent times. Some lost

everything, including artists on Canyon Acres whose studios and homes

burned down to nothing but ash.

While dealing with such unimaginable catastrophes, the artists got

some reprieve thanks to the Sawdust Art Festival’s Benevolence Fund,

an organization that assists artists in times of dire need. On Sunday

starting at noon, the Sawdust will host its 17th annual Art Auction,

with all proceeds going toward this fund.

Artists exhibiting at Sawdust donate pieces of work to be

auctioned, with every type of medium represented, from original oils

and watercolor paintings to one-of-a-kind fine jewelry and ceramics.

Gary Heintz is one of the three appointed trustees who are in

charge of the fund. The cause started as an auction in 1987 to aid an

artist dying of cancer, he said. They raised $10,000 to give to that

artist.

“The following year, we thought maybe we should do an auction

again,” Heintz said. “We did an auction and raised money, but it had

no guidelines.

“In ‘89, after the second auction, we had a tax attorney look at

the show,” Heintz said. “The state is very specific how the monies

are handled and gave us a set of guidelines, part of which was

trusteeships.”

He volunteered at that point and started to organize according to

the state’s definition.

“It was pretty well in place when the fire hit 10 years ago,”

Heintz. “My whole neighborhood burned down, and at that point, 15

families and individuals received help. I wrote them checks within

three days -- it was the first money they got -- and worked with them

for about a year and a half.”

A Sawdust exhibitor since ‘68, Mark Blumenfeld, and his wife were

recipients of some of that fund.

“We lost everything in the fire, our studio and house burned, we

had nothing,” Blumenfeld said.

Beverly said that at that point she wasn’t worried about material

possessions.

“Who cares about material possessions when you have a husband,

14-year-old son and four cats,” she said.

They knew that morning that the devastating fires were coming

toward them and were luckily able to get their cats, jewelry, photos,

heirlooms and important papers together.

Mark, a ceramist, was working in his studio throwing pots and

watching TV.

“It showed the fires in Emerald Bay,” Blumenfeld said. “At 2:30

p.m., it jumped the canyon, and at 4:15 p.m., it was in my studio

like a tornado. My son was watching and said, ‘It’s behind the

studio, it’s time to go.”

They said the sky was gray with red embers as they headed south to

safety.

“Other people were not home and didn’t have the same luck,”

Blumenfeld said. “It was incredible, we needed cash, and it was here.

I’ve participated many years in the auction and never knew we would

need it.”

They said they never even had to think about it, that the trustees

contacted them and said they wanted to give them some money.

They are so thankful for the fund -- they wouldn’t have known

where to turn without it.

Sawdust artist Drake Sawyer was also helped by the fund.

“After the Laguna Beach fires, they monetarily helped me three

times,” Sawyer said. “Everything was awry, and no one knew what was

going on, and they helped.” “They helped me again after my wife,

Alice, passes away in ’97.”

And at that same time, he said he got a package, including food

for Thanksgiving.

When the fires hit, Sawyer was out of town. His daughter contacted

him and told him that he better get home.

“When I got back, it was gone,” Sawyer said. “My house burned to

the ground. All my tools melted, the jewelry I had made melted -- it

completely wiped me out emotionally. My business had disappeared. I

didn’t get to save anything. It took everything.”

He had lived in his Canyon Acres residence with his studio for 20

years before the fire and had paid for it outright.

“I had no insurance. It was a complete loss,” Sawyer said. “As a

result of owning the house, I was able to rebuild. I wouldn’t have

been able to qualify for the loan because of my low income had I not

owned.

“The Benevolence Fund really helped, and so did a lot of people

from the [Sawdust Festival],” Sawyer said. “It’s like a family. My

peers helped me emotionally and brought up my spirits quite a bit.”

His artist friends donated some tools and gave him work to help

him get back on his feet.

“You don’t really know who’s benefiting,” Sawyer said. “That’s one

of the good things about it. It’s kept completely anonymous.”

Marketing director Rebecca Meekma said that the three trustees

receive the applications and that it is all kept confidential.

“Most of the circumstances are health related,” Heintz said. “It’s

a real serious situation. Many artists don’t have health insurance.

When something happens they don’t have anywhere to go.”

To receive aid from the Benevolence Fund, one does not have to be

an exhibitor of the Sawdust Art Festival, he or she just has to be an

artist who resides in Laguna Beach and makes a living as such.The

auction keeps growing every year, with two held annually at the

Sawdust, one during the summer show and the other at the winter

festival.

“The community is slowly becoming aware,” Heintz said. “Everyone

has to realize these monies go to the community, our artists, and

it’s all raised by the generosity of Sawdust artists.”

The auction will be held at the main entertainment stage at the

Sawdust Art Festival, at 935 Laguna Canyon Road. For information,

call 494-3030.