8 DECEMBER 2025
ROUGHDRAFT.NEWS
BUCKHEAD
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Artists raise money after fire destroys South River Art Studios
Artists like welder Ryan Durrett were left with destroyed tools, work,
and studios after a fire broke out at South River Arts Studio
on Nov. 12. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Durrett)
The Fountain
of YOU.
By Katie Burkholder
South Atlanta artists are raising money
after a fire destroyed the main building at
South River Art Studios on Nov. 12.
DeKalb County firefighters arrived at
South River Art Studios — four acres of
unused land and warehouses turned into
45 artist studios, gallery, and event spaces
in South Atlanta — shortly after 4 a.m.
to find the main warehouse engulfed in
flames.
Owner and sculptor Phil Proctor told
ArtsATL that there was smoke and water
damage to 100 percent of the building,
and he doesn’t yet know if the building is
salvageable.
“Even the parts that didn’t burn are not
habitable at the moment,” he said.
Proctor estimated that around 25 to
30 studios were completely destroyed,
including welder Ryan Durrett’s, who is
fundraising to cover the decade of work.
“I lost at least $50,000 worth of tools,
equipment, and materials,” Durrett said.
“In addition to tools, I lost years’ worth of
work. From sculptures, to wooden boxes,
to my office that I recently built for my
girlfriend to work alongside me. These
are all sentimental things that cannot be
replaced.”
Durrett says his insurance will
not cover the losses, so he launched a
GoFundMe, which has raised nearly
$66,000 at press time. Various fundraisers
by other affected artists had raised a
collective $151,000 at press time. Visit
southriverartstudios.com to donate to all
the individual artist fundraisers.
Mayor Andre Dickens’ office shared
a letter on Nov. 17 with Rough Draft
standing in “full support” of the artists
affected by the fire.
“This loss is significant,” Dickens
wrote. “We know that many Atlantans lost
studios, art, and livelihoods in this tragic
event... To the artists at South River Art
Studios: we stand with you, and our city’s
cultural identity is stronger because of your
work.”
No one was inside the building when
the fire started, and no injuries were
reported. Investigators are still working to
determine the cause of the fire.
Atlanta City Council, Board of
Education runoff results
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By Collin Kelley
Five undetermined races for the Atlanta
City Council and the Atlanta Board of
Education were decided during the Dec. 2
runoff election.
The positions include two Atlanta City
Council races and three Atlanta Board of
Education seats that weren’t decided on
Nov. 4.
“There was light turnout for in-person
voting on Dec. 2 after a week of early
voting.
AN SRC SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 12 * carf). & Eg
Wayne Martin (top)
and Thomas Worthy
Atlanta City Council Dist. 7
Percentage Votes
Thad Flowers 41.68% 1,076
Thomas Worthy* 59.32% 1,569
Atlanta City Council Dist. 11
Percentage Votes
Nate Jester 42.06% 1,588
Wayne Martin* 57.94% 2,188
Atlanta BOE Dist. 2
Percentage Votes
Marlissa Crawford 26.41% 394
Tony Mitchell* 73.59% 1,098
Atlanta BOE Dist. 6
Percentage Votes
Patreece Hutcherson* 54.14% 2,476
Tolton Pace (I) 45.86% 2.097
Atlanta BOE Dist. 8 At-Large
Percentage Votes
Kaycee Brock* 55.44% 9,081
Royce Mann 44.56% 7,298
