Survivors of the Glass Fire, Artists Caryn & Wayne
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Support Glass Fire Survivors Caryn Fried & Wayne Reynolds
Valley of the Moon Pottery, North Eagle Gallery & Tree Farm
Has Served Santa Rosa for 40 years
On Monday, September 28th, the unfathomable happened.
My family lost our home and family business in Santa Rosa to the Glass Fire. Everything my parents, Caryn Fried, 72 and Wayne Reynolds, 81 have worked so hard to build over the past 40 years has been reduced to ash and rubble. If there has ever been a time for funding and support from the wider community, this is it.
For us, this loss is monumental. Aside from all the things we personally cherish, we lost my parent’s life’s work, as well as both arms of our family business. We are so grateful to discover, that a few of my mother’s sculptures have survived that were outside of the structures. This is a huge comfort to us. All of our pottery and paintings, ceramics equipment, and our beloved Christmas tree farm are gone, meaning my parents have now lost all sources of income for the foreseeable future.
Valley of the Moon Pottery, North Eagle Gallery & Tree Farm
Has Served Santa Rosa for 40 years
On Monday, September 28th, the unfathomable happened.My family lost our home and family business in Santa Rosa to the Glass Fire. Everything my parents, Caryn Fried, 72 and Wayne Reynolds, 81 have worked so hard to build over the past 40 years has been reduced to ash and rubble. If there has ever been a time for funding and support from the wider community, this is it.
For us, this loss is monumental. Aside from all the things we personally cherish, we lost my parent’s life’s work, as well as both arms of our family business. We are so grateful to discover, that a few of my mother’s sculptures have survived that were outside of the structures. This is a huge comfort to us. All of our pottery and paintings, ceramics equipment, and our beloved Christmas tree farm are gone, meaning my parents have now lost all sources of income for the foreseeable future.
With a devastation of this magnitude, the best insurance we could acquire does not come close to covering this loss. We want to plant seeds - both literally and figuratively- to grow our business again. It is mindblowing to understand what goes into a physical business. It would take 7-10 years before a new grove of trees could mature for harvest. The inventory of pottery in our gallery took years for my parents to create.
We need to safely clear the property of the remains of our 5,000 burnt trees, our studios, destroyed equipment, pottery and building rubble, and our home. We estimate needing upwards of $100,000 beyond our insurance coverage to begin to do this work and start the process of rebuilding our lives.
Our Phase 1 GoFundMe goal, while we continue to assess damages and wait for more information from our insurance company is $150,000. If 1,000 people could donate $150 we could do it, or 2,000 people donating $75. If you are unable to donate, you could also help by sharing our link in an email to your network or reposting on social media.
I would like to share some of my parent’s history. Their life is their craft, and their rural countryside destination, a natural sanctuary for many. My parents got their start living in an Oakland warehouse, selling their pottery on the streets of San Francisco. In the 1970’s they mastered their craft under Marguerite Wildenhein at Pond Farm Pottery among the Armstrong Redwoods. Since, they have made Sonoma County their home.
In 1987 Caryn & Wayne purchased their property along Highway 12, on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, and this is where I grew up. Over the years, my parents created a unique destination where they have shared their artwork and taught the craft of making pottery.
The purchase of the property brought with it a Christmas tree farm. With the support of master arborist Gary Muerle, we cultivated the forest adding 10 varieties of trees from redwoods, to cedars, firs, and pines. We utilized sustainable practices to allow our trees to regenerate and regrow. Our pottery and “choose-and-cut” tree farm has hosted families for multiple generations. Sharing the holiday with us has been a Sonoma County tradition.
We are profoundly grateful for all the years of patronage from our students and clients these past four decades. As a family, we have truly lived our dream and just can’t believe it’s over. The future is now quite uncertain for us. But we’re not giving up on Santa Rosa, we’re not giving up on Sonoma County, and it is simply impossible to give up on art.
Thank you for your continued support in the days ahead. Thank you to the many, many people who have reached out offering us support, love and encouragement; we need our community now more than ever. We offer our deep gratitude in advance for the generosity of friends, family and strangers in our time of need as we begin our journey of rebuilding and healing our land and our family.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR ANY AND ALL CONTRIBUTIONS.
Thank You,
Caryn, Wayne & Maya
We need to safely clear the property of the remains of our 5,000 burnt trees, our studios, destroyed equipment, pottery and building rubble, and our home. We estimate needing upwards of $100,000 beyond our insurance coverage to begin to do this work and start the process of rebuilding our lives. Our Phase 1 GoFundMe goal, while we continue to assess damages and wait for more information from our insurance company is $150,000. If 1,000 people could donate $150 we could do it, or 2,000 people donating $75. If you are unable to donate, you could also help by sharing our link in an email to your network or reposting on social media. I would like to share some of my parent’s history. Their life is their craft, and their rural countryside destination, a natural sanctuary for many. My parents got their start living in an Oakland warehouse, selling their pottery on the streets of San Francisco. In the 1970’s they mastered their craft under Marguerite Wildenhein at Pond Farm Pottery among the Armstrong Redwoods. Since, they have made Sonoma County their home. In 1987 Caryn & Wayne purchased their property along Highway 12, on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, and this is where I grew up. Over the years, my parents created a unique destination where they have shared their artwork and taught the craft of making pottery. The purchase of the property brought with it a Christmas tree farm. With the support of master arborist Gary Muerle, we cultivated the forest adding 10 varieties of trees from redwoods, to cedars, firs, and pines. We utilized sustainable practices to allow our trees to regenerate and regrow. Our pottery and “choose-and-cut” tree farm has hosted families for multiple generations. Sharing the holiday with us has been a Sonoma County tradition. We are profoundly grateful for all the years of patronage from our students and clients these past four decades. As a family, we have truly lived our dream and just can’t believe it’s over. The future is now quite uncertain for us. But we’re not giving up on Santa Rosa, we’re not giving up on Sonoma County, and it is simply impossible to give up on art. Thank you for your continued support in the days ahead. Thank you to the many, many people who have reached out offering us support, love and encouragement; we need our community now more than ever. We offer our deep gratitude in advance for the generosity of friends, family and strangers in our time of need as we begin our journey of rebuilding and healing our land and our family.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR ANY AND ALL CONTRIBUTIONS.
Thank You,
Caryn, Wayne & Maya
Fundraising team (3)
Maya Reynolds
Organizer
Santa Rosa, CA
Laura Aspinall
Team member
Lauren Kozak
Team member