BOULDER, Colo. — Though it was tough, Danielle DeRoberts never gave up hope.
DeRoberts, who paints under the pseudonym “Onerary,” remembers Oct. 19, 2021 well. She woke up at 3 a.m. to her cats in a panic and a neighbor screaming “fire” outside Whittier Place Condo Complex on Boulder’s Pearl Street. After grabbing her cat and her most-cherished belongings, DeRoberts ran outside and watched more than 80 units in her condo building crumble, swallowed up by a smoky sea of orange.
“It was just a really surreal time,” DeRoberts said. “It’s kind of a process talking about it.”
Still, DeRoberts knew a day would come when she could be reconnected with her valuables and precious memories. The remaining units, including DeRoberts' condo, were deemed salvageable, but she said the area’s homeowners associations blocked residents from taking their partially burned belongings.
After months of back-and-forth, SERVPRO of Greater Boulder helped DeRoberts and other residents obtain their remaining possessions. For DeRoberts, that included photos of her late mother, art supplies and other treasured belongings.
Though it took two-and-a-half weeks to scrape mold off her supplies and repair broken items, DeRoberts has now been able to turn a dark, traumatic memory into a healing art exhibit at The Gallery @ The Bus Stop Apartments. Her exhibit is on display in the gallery until Oct. 2.
