When Hurricane Helene barreled into Western North Carolina, weaver Emelie Weber Wade retreated from her first-floor apartment in Biltmore Village to a friend’s nearby home. As the floodwaters rose, she watched helplessly as the Swannanoa River infiltrated her space, sweeping her possessions downstream. “… the results were so much worse than I could have anticipated,” Wade recalls. “I lost everything in my home to the flood, including 10 looms, weaving and sewing equipment, materials, works in progress, and finished pieces of art.” In the weeks and months that followed, Wade slowly rebuilt her home studio and returned to the loom. But many evenings were spent caught between wakefulness and sleep, her mind drifting back to that devastating day. The dreams she had are now woven, quite literally, into her newest series, “In Bloom.” The series includes wearable art, cyanotype prints, and handwoven inlay wall hangings featuring figurative scenes that pay homage to those dark nights of the soul. “Weaving these Helene dream motifs has become a way for me to process my grief and experiences,” she explains. Though unpacking this trauma, stitch by stitch, has “been an incredibly difficult journey,” Wade is eager to share her work. “This series,” she says, “represents growth, transformation, and reawakening.”
Emelie Weber Wade, Asheville, lunadendron.com. Wade will unveil In Bloom on Saturday, March 8, 11am-5pm at The Big Room Studios at Pink Dog Creative (344 Depot St., Suite 101, River Arts District, Asheville).