Creativity in Crisis

Artists across Western North Carolina lead recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene

On Friday, September 27, Hurricane Helene tore through the mountains of Western North Carolina, leaving a trail of unprecedented destruction in its wake. Thousands lost homes and businesses. Dozens lost loved ones. But amid the devastation, the region’s vibrant art communities united in remarkable ways. From the River Arts District in Asheville to the rural coves of the High Country, potters, painters, printmakers, and other creatives came together, offering hope in the darkest of times. Here are some of their stories.

Joining Forces in Fairview 

Six days after Hurricane Helene, painter Fleta Monaghan drove from her home in Fairview to Riverview Station in the River Arts District, where she has operated 310 ART since 2006. “Mud was so thick both inside and outside, and debris [was] everywhere. It was difficult to even walk to the doors, which were standing open, windows blown out,” Monaghan tells Asheville Made. Standing there in the wreckage, it became obvious to Monaghan that she would need to relocate her studio, gallery, and fine-art school — she just wasn’t sure to where. Then a miracle happened: Nan Cole, owner of Re.Imagine Gallery & Studios, called and offered to share her Fairview venue. “It just seemed logical to try to reach out to see if our site would be of interest,” says Cole. In the weeks since, the two art organizations have joined forces, even developing a joint mission statement. “We never know what life will throw at us,” the statement reads, “and as artists and supporters of creativity in our communities, we vow to continue to support and nurture everyone’s creative spirit.”

Re.Imagine Gallery & Studios and 310 ART, 15 Spivey Lake Drive, Fairview, off 74-A (Charlotte Highway) and Old Fort Road. For more information, call 828-338-0070 or see reimaginefairview.com or 310art.com.

Building It Back Better in Marshall 

Painter Francesco Lombardo hasn’t stopped moving since 8:30am on Sunday, September 29, when the French Broad River receded enough to safely access Marshall High Studios on Blannahassett Island. From that moment forward, he began shoveling, cleaning, and building, all in an effort to restore the nearly 100-year-old schoolhouse that today serves as a workspace for 30-plus artists. “Since I first set foot on the island after the flood, I’ve only taken two full days off from our restoration work,” Lombardo says. “For the first two weeks, the main goals were to clear out flood debris and muck out the inside of our space. This meant moving about 10,000 cubic feet of mud … .” Efforts have since pivoted to mold remediation, all while organizers draft plans to make the building as flood-proof as possible. Though there is no confirmed completion date, Lombardo expects artists will be moving back into their studios in the spring or summer of next year. “I’m looking forward to returning to my life as a painter in the very same space I’ve called my studio for the last 15 years,” he says.

Francesco Lombardo, 115 Blannahassett Island Road, Studio 110, Marshall, francescolombard.com. For more information on Marshall High Studios, visit marshallhighstudios.com.

Feeding Hope in the River Arts District 

According to painter Philip DeAngelo, a contemporary Americana painting and a meatball sub have more in common than you might think. “Art and food bring people together,” he says. “One feeds the body, one feeds the soul. Both of them lead to community.” That much became obvious in the days following Hurricane Helene, when DeAngelo and his wife, Tina, turned their River Arts District gallery into an emergency provisions station. In honor of DeAngelo’s Italian grandmother, the couple dubbed the project “Nonna DeAngelo’s Kitchen,” and worked hand-in-hand with World Central Kitchen to distribute nourishing meals, snacks, drinks, pantry staples, and even non-food items like gloves, socks, and water filters to the artists and volunteers who were busy cleaning up the RAD. “An unexpected bonus of becoming a hub of information sharing, food, and hugs, is that we’re all reminded of the sense of community,” says Greg Vineyard, director of Philip DeAngelo Studio and Gallery. “… It’s been a beautiful thing to see everyone get to rediscover each other as we reconnect.” 

Philip DeAngelo Studio, 115 Roberts St., River Arts District, Asheville, philipdeangeloart.com. Nonna DeAngelo’s kitchen will continue to operate for select special events.

Realizing a New Vision in Hendersonville 

Since 2021, Art on 7th has served as a contemporary art gallery. But that’s soon to change. According to owners Julie and Phil Wilmot, the 3,000-square-foot venue in Henderson County’s 7th Avenue Historic District is pivoting to exclusively represent regional artists displaced by the storm. “In broadening the scope of what the gallery offers and narrowing the geographical range of our artists to Western North Carolina, Art on 7th is dedicated to helping these artists recover and reemerge with new works that will be collected and deeply appreciated for years to come,” the couple shared in a press statement. This rebrand is expected to take effect in January 2025, when the gallery reopens after a nearly year-long closure related to an extensive streetscape project. While that impediment was frustrating, Julie says the closure put the gallery in “the position to pivot in response to this critical need.” The timing was “fortuitous” — an act of “divine intervention,” she notes.

Art on 7th Gallery, 330 7th Ave. East, Hendersonville. For more information, call 828-595-9232 or visit arton7th.com.

Clay’ing It Forward in Bakersville

Potter Julie Wiggins will never forget the terror on her neighbors’ faces after Hurricane Helene. “That was the hardest part,” says Wiggins, who resides in Bakersville, a rural community hit hard by the storm. “Most people here live below the poverty line, and I could see the fear in them. They were like, ‘What just happened and what are we going to do?’” Determined to help, Wiggins coordinated with loved ones in eastern North Carolina to ship vital supplies to the mountains. She then turned her front yard into an aid station, distributing food, water, propane, chainsaws, and “hugs” to her “holler families.” Knowing cold weather was on the horizon, Wiggins also partnered with Samaritan’s Purse to provide hundreds of generators to seniors on oxygen, parents with infants, and other vulnerable community members. “I was able to give them comfort,” says Wiggins, “so they didn’t feel so alone.”

Julie Wiggins, Bakersville, juliewigginspottery.com.

Keeping the Arts Alive in Waynesville

Waynesville artists Patricia Sweet and Clay Sayre lost everything in Hurricane Helene. Their home was flooded, Sweet’s car was ruined, and her inventory of work at Marquee in the River Arts District was washed away. But even after experiencing such immense loss, the couple stepped up for fellow creatives, working together to collect and distribute paints, pastels, canvases, brushes, and other art supplies. “We personally couldn’t come out of this experience and then turn a blind eye. We needed to do something,” says Sayre. Knowing so many lost their workspaces in the storm, Sweet and Sayre also opened up their space at Waynesville’s Folkmoot Studios, giving artists a warm, safe place to create. They arranged for grief counselors to be onsite, too. “Creativity might get delayed,” says Sayre, “but it will not be stopped.” Neither will “love and laughs,” adds Sweet.

Patricia Sweet and Clay Sayre, Folkmoot Studios at the Fookmoot USA Cultural Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Studio A6, Building B, Waynesville. The artists will distribute art supplies at Folkmoot on Saturday, Dec. 7, 12-7pm. For more information, see patriciasweet.com. You can also find Sweet on Instagram @patriciasweetartist and Sayre @claysayrestudio.