San Diego's flooding left art and culture spaces in ruins

Monday's devastating flooding impacted many arts and culture spaces, organizations, artists and performers throughout the region.

One area hit hard by the floods is Southeast San Diego, which includes the recently designated San Diego Black Arts and Culture District. Organizers were planning Black History Month events at the Jacobs Center, which flooded and is closed until further notice, but other arts spaces are also majorly impacted.

"The Chollas Creek runs the length of the San Diego Black Arts and Culture District and bifurcates Marie Widman Park, which is a major amenity for the district. It is the location of several planned activities. The park was damaged," said Gaidi Finnie, executive director of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Arts, the organization that oversaw grant funding for the formation of the Black Arts and Culture District.

Finnie also said the Synergy Centre coworking space flooded, which is in the same building on Imperial Avenue that houses Urban Collaborative CDC, Maxx Moses Studios, San Diego Heartbeat Music and Performing Arts Academy, San Diego Urban Warriors and others. Outside, artist Maxx Moses' Graffiti Gardens space sustained significant damage, though the graffiti murals are OK.

Maxx Moses

Graffiti Gardens is an outdoor studio that also serves as a serene immersive art space in nature, with Moses' vivid murals adorning a vibrant, living garden.

"The garden was demolished. The garden wrapped around the entire back of the building. We have plants, big plants, like a hundred and something pounds of soil in them, and those whole planters have been dislocated to the opposite side of the building," Moses said. "The river that was flowing outside was otherworldly."

Maxx Moses

He added that his paintings stored in his interior studio were relatively unscathed and dry, though others in the building weren't as lucky. "The river ran through the place."

Dajahn Blevins, who runs San Diego Urban Warriors and is helping organize the district's Black History Month activities, said that even though the park and Jacobs Center have been damaged, the community will still find a way to gather.

"We are not deterred," Blevins said.

More arts and culture spaces impacted by flooding

PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company sustained flooding in their building in National City and will be closed indefinitely until they can renovate. They are requesting donations and may have upcoming volunteer opportunities, too.

K Street Kreative Studios in Grant Hill reported major flooding and damage to equipment. The building houses studio and rehearsal space for more than a dozen bands and musicians, including Author & Punisher, Nonexistent Night, Wild Wild Wets, Weatherbox and more. They've launched a GoFundMe to gather donations.

Demetrius Antuna, who runs K Street Kreative, said that every tenant was impacted. In the GoFundMe, the group said that the space flooded five years ago, which rendered them ineligible for flood insurance.

More arts and culture organizations and small businesses with flood damage include:
World Beat Cultural Center (donate here)
The roof at artist Bryan Ali Sanchez’s studio space caved in at Bread and Salt damaging finished paintings and supplies
San Diego Made Factory and the many artist studios, shops and collectives housed within
Native Poppy
Thread Spun
Mudd House Studio
Corner Frame Shop/Leucadia Art Gallery
Sounds Like Sound
1502 Candle Company
Kind Folk Farm
Sweetwater Farms

Small-scale local farms were hit hard, and may see long-term impacts for this and upcoming plantings and seasons. Berry Good Food has organized a fundraiser to support other small farmers in the Tijuana River/Estuary region.

Economy

Monday's floods devastated San Diego business owners

Melissa Mae

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Resources for damaged art and books

• For assistance with water damage on art, textiles, books, photography and paper collections, the Balboa Art Conservation Center has compiled a list of water emergency resources here.

More ways to help

There are several neighborhood cleanup efforts seeking community volunteers:

• Lemon Grove and Southcrest are looking for volunteers to clean up this weekend, Jan. 27-28.
• San Diego County District 4 is hosting a debris drop-off and cleanup for impacted families, and are looking for volunteers Jan. 27. Call 619-236-6644 to volunteer.

GoFundMe has a designated section for "winter storms" fundraisers. Select "California" to search by this region.

Resources for impacted residents

The following resources may assist businesses, groups and individuals impacted by flood-related damage: