Works of art by East Ludington Gallery artists are shown at the Bonifas Arts Center. An exhibit opened Thursday featuring the work of the artists. The building that housed the East Ludington Gallery was damaged in a fire in January and the artwork inside suffered smoke and water damage. The Bonifas exhibit is designed to benefit the artists as they move to a new location in downtown Escanaba. (Escanaba Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA — The Bonifas Arts Center is giving a helping hand to the artists of the East Ludington Gallery. An exhibit of their work opened Thursday at the arts center gallery.

The building that previously housed the East Ludington Gallery was damaged in a fire in downtown Escanaba in January. Two buildings were destroyed and one person was killed in the blaze. The neighboring East Ludington Gallery building was damaged and is scheduled to be demolished. The works of art that were offered for sale inside were damaged by smoke and water.

During April, the arts center is showcasing the works of the East Ludington Gallery artists. According to Bonifas Gallery

Director Kate Oman, one of the goals of the exhibit is to show the community the talents of the East Ludington Galley artists and give people an opportunity to donate to the artists. Raffles will also be held at the Bonifas throughout the run of the exhibit to benefit the artists

The exhibit will run through May 2

Ohman said the efforts will help the artists as they prepare to move to a new location at the former Morrison Shop in downtown Escanaba.

The Bonifas Arts Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.