Two volunteerrun art spaces in Albuquerque look to rebuild after weekend fire
Nov 04, 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Two volunteer-run spaces for artists and musicians in a historic part of Albuquerque are still closed Monday night after a fire. "Just overwhelmed, like, where's a starting point even," said Cati Ambriz, a co-runner for The Minnow.
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It's a long road ahead for the Fourteenfifteen Gallery and The Minnow in Barelas after a fire overnight on Friday. The operators of the DIY spaces for artists and musicians first heard of the fire on social media. "My heart sank and I had a lot of anxiety about it," said Zach Leyba, another co-runner for The Minnow.
They came the next morning down to assess the damage. "It was like a fever dream, honestly," said Ambriz.
From a partially melted exterior to fire and water damage inside, they estimate the damage is in the thousands. "Really grateful that nobody was hurt," said Amanda Donnae Romero, co-director of Fourteenfifteen Gallery. "We did have a lot of damage to artifacts, furniture, different equipment, that unfortunately is not replaceable. But most of the artists we were exhibiting, their work wasn't damaged which we were so grateful for."
Another bright stop is the community. "It's really validating to know that people care about what we do here," said Leyba.
The three said other venues have offered to through benefit events to help the two spaces recover. They also said other DIY venues took on the acts and artists who were scheduled at their spaces to ensure the show can still go on. "We knew, like, the community was amazing but it's just been a testament to how strong and tight-knit this particular DIY and art and music community is in Albuquerque," said Romero.
They said the hope to be open in the new year. In the meantime, they are fundraising via GoFundMe to help repair the damage. KRQE News 13 reached out to Albuquerque Fire Rescue for details on what may have started the fire but did not hear back.