The Long Beach Camerata Singers is hosting a free concert benefiting the efforts to rebuild a gallery that was destroyed in a suspected DUI crash in February.
Friday’s performance was originally supposed to be held in conjunction with an art exhibit at The Open Gallery, but the space was destroyed when an SUV rear-ended another vehicle, causing both to plow through the gallery at 1740 E. Seventh St.
The gallery is also the home of its owners, Artos Saucedo and Liz Garibaldi.
Saucedo, a 36-year-old graphic designer and screen printer, and his family had lived in the loft for five years. Not long after moving in, the couple founded The Open Gallery, a space to showcase artists, which also features two studios and a gift shop.
At the beginning of this year, after a year of renovations, the couple expanded the space into the building’s center unit, which briefly served as a gallery and community space.
The Camerata Singers had been slated to perform in the gallery in conjunction with an art exhibit by Michelle Marks. After the crash, they decided to proceed with a concert at a different location, with the proceeds going to help the family recover and rebuild.
“After considering a number of alternatives, it became obvious that the concert should go on as scheduled but as a fundraiser for Open Gallery,” the group said in a statement.
At the time of the crash, Saucedo said some of the art that was displayed in the gallery was destroyed, leaving the family to figure out how to pay the artists for their work as well as salvage their own finances.
Adding to their dire financial situation was the fact that their insurance company recently pulled out of California, leaving them uninsured.
A GoFundMe established at the time has raised close to $43,000 so far.
“It’s really a beacon of hope that this community is that tight knit and we can all count on each other,” Sauceda said in a statement about the benefit concert.
The concert this Friday will include excerpts from the Camerata Singers’ 2023 Peace Project called “The Worth of Water.” The social justice concert was performed in October and coincided with Marks’ exhibit, titled “Trash,” which will be produced at a later date.
There are no advance ticket sales for the concert, but donations will be accepted at the door, with all proceeds going toward the gallery rebuilding project.
The concert will be at 8 p.m. Friday, April 12, at Grace First Presbyterian Church, 3955 N. Studebaker Road, Long Beach.