City Foundry to focus first Live Art Market on tornado relief
The May 21 event will include raffles, fundraisers, and artist performances.
Following the devastating storms that caused damage across the St. Louis area on the afternoon on May 16, City Foundry has announced that the first of its new series of Live Art Markets at the 15-acre Midtown site will be dedicated to providing relief to affected communities.
Tornado Relief Night, scheduled for May 21 from 5:30-8:30 p.m., is a collaborative effort between City Foundry and STL Bucket List that aims to both raise funds and engage volunteers to support ongoing clean up and community care.
Live art demonstrations, musical performances, and special offerings from businesses on Foundry Way will continue as planned, but these activities will be joined by several fundraising and relief efforts. Among the plans for the evening is a fundraising raffle featuring items and experiences from City Foundry tenants, with proceeds going to help Delmar Makers District arts nonprofits such as MADE Makerspace.
MADE is one of several local arts spaces that are closed until further notice due to extensive storm damage along Delmar. “We have weeks worth of damages to repair, but one day at a time—we will get through this,” the organization shared on Facebook. MADE executive director Rachel King also shared a GoFundMe for the Delmar art space.
The City Foundry fundraiser will help MADE and other spaces with their funding goals as they work toward repairs and reopening. A food drive is planned to gather non-perishable food items for distribution to those in need, and City Foundry tenants are being encouraged to host their own additional fundraisers.
According to organizers, nonprofit groups working on relief are invited to use City Foundry space for organizing, recruiting, and training volunteers; organizing supplies; and raising funds during the event at no cost. Individuals and organizations interested in participating in the event—including use of space, fundraising, and raffle prize and food drive donations—should fill out the Tornado Relief Night participation form.