Last night, at 10:30 on May 27th, the old Robert's Shoes building caught on fire on the corner of Chicago and Lake Street. It burned for hours and eventually the roof collapsed. The building is skeletal; everything burnt out.



What some people realize and others don't is that Robert's Shoes is a long standing institution for the south Minneapolis arts community. The building was in use by many artists creating a vast array of art work over the years. In addition, there are several living spaces that have been destroyed.



We are now displaced. Some are without a home. Many of us have lost all our resources to make art, which is how a lot of us sustain ourselves. We are asking for a donation to collect and distribute between those who have lost something in this tragedy.



My name is Alex Uhrich, I am an artist and activist who lives near Powderhorn Park and shared a studio with several other artists and musicians. I am a film photographer who grew up in the Twin Cities, and I lost my entire catalogue of film to this fire. Hundreds of negatives and polaroids. My partner, who I share a studio with, lost his laptop and all of his drawings and materials and illustration equipment. Our studio mate lost hard drives of musical work from over the years. I know a musician whose amplifier was destroyed. There are countless stories of people affected by this because Robert's was a hub for all types of people, and there is a lot of work to be done.



This is an initial post to get the ball rolling. Several people are connecting with ideas of how to fundraise within our respective communities. We will be adding several members to keep this page updated with relevant information and events.



Right now, we are simply starting a general pool of donations. A small committee is being formed to help hash out how to allocate the funds directly to the artists and businesses right now, more updates on that to come.



Thankyou.

Alex Uhrich

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