ArtsAVL arts council is coordinating emergency support services for Western North Carolina artists and arts organizations affected by Tropical Storm Helene.
The organization has compiled a list of resources for artists, including federal emergency and small-business aid, National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response disaster support and arts-specific grant and loan opportunities, plus information on tax relief, legal assistance, renters rights and more. The organization is also surveying WNC creatives to assess immediate and upcoming needs.
“If history shows us anything, the artists of Asheville breathe life into our community,” says ArtsAVL executive director Katie Cornell. She notes that artists helped reinvigorate downtown Asheville in the 1980s to eventually make it a thriving tourist destination and were also instrumental in rejuvenating the city’s economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales totals for the local creative industry in 2022 surpassed 2019 sales by more than 31%, she points out.
“In 2024, artists can once again revitalize our city after the destruction of Hurricane Helene,” says Cornell. “Let’s make sure we keep our artists here in Asheville. We are going to need them.”
ArtsAVL is accepting donations to support Asheville and Buncombe County artists and arts organizations impacted by the storm. It’s also helping collect contributions for the N.C. Arts Disaster Relief Fund, which is focused on long-term recovery efforts across WNC. To make large gifts to ArtsAVL, contact development director Rebecca Lynch at rebecca@artsavl.org.
To donate, complete the needs assessment survey or view ArtsAVL’s list of resources, visit avl.mx/e73.
Update: On Monday, Oct. 14, ArtsAVL will launch a new Emergency Relief Grant program for WNC artists. Learn more here.
Updates from other local arts organizations
LEAF Global Arts
LEAF Global Arts co-director Jennifer Pickering announced in an Oct. 4 media release that the LEAF Global Arts Festival, scheduled for Oct. 17-20, is canceled due to the Tropical Storm Helene disaster.
The organization, however, invites festival fans to participate in a global World Drum Day event that will run from noon to noon, Saturday through Sunday, Oct. 19-20. Plans are also in motion to host Disaster reLEAF concerts in the future.
An online form has been set up to provide LEAF Festival ticket holders options for donating their ticket value to the LEAF Global Arts Artist Relief Fund, transferring their ticket into LEAF membership, receiving credit toward future LEAF events or requesting a refund (only for WNC residents and those in the path of Tropical Storm Helene).
The LEAF buildings survived the storm and flooding and are in good shape, according to the release. “The big challenges are roads, fallen trees, lack of water and services and the surrounding devastation,” the statement reads.
LEAF, which celebrates its 30th year in 2025, is accepting donations to support local artists through its LEAF Global Arts Artist Relief Fund.
Sign up for World Drum Day at avl.mx/e74. For more information about ways to donate and options for LEAF Festival ticket holders, visit avl.mx/e75.
River Arts District Artists
The River Arts District Artists (RADA) organization is working to help artists in the River Arts District impacted by catastrophic flooding from Tropical Storm Helene. Clean-up crews, food and water distribution and a Flood Recovery Fund to support artists are among the efforts RADA is coordinating through its website and social media platforms.
The majority of RADA’s 26 artist studio buildings experienced destruction in the flood, resulting in losses of not just working and retail spaces, but also art, supplies and equipment, says an announcement on the RADA website.
For updates on volunteer opportunities and other efforts, follow RADA on Instagram at avl.mx/e77. To donate to the Flood Recovery Fund, visit avl.mx/e78.
Mad Genius Foundation
Mad Genius Studios on Sweeten Creek Road is working through its nonprofit arm, Mad Genius Foundation, on relief and recovery efforts to support businesses in the Biltmore Design District around Sweeten Creek and Biltmore Village.
According to Mad Genius founder Shawndra Russell, current projects include: daily hot meal delivery to River Arts District artists; bringing propane for cooking to the isolated Bee Tree and Summer Haven communities; providing propane and other supplies to the devastated Nesbitt Chapel and Garren Creek communities in Fairview; getting oxygen tanks to elderly residents; supporting Biltmore Village/Sweeten Creek area cleanup volunteers with portable toilets and showers, and raising money for local small-business recovery.
Fundraising efforts include a pop-up shop at Mad Genius Studios selling #828Recovery stickers and other items. Plans are in the works to turn this into an online store as well.
“There are 100-plus businesses impacted just in the Asheville Design District and devastated Biltmore Village area alone,” says Russell. “The unexpectedness of a hurricane in the mountains has left us all scrambling, but there’s so much hope here, and we will recover and come back strong after a very, very long road of recovery.”
Mad Genius operates out of the Atelier Maison & Co. buildings on Sweeten Creek Road near Interstate 40. The space can accommodate semi truck deliveries and is currently seeking Starlink to help activate and coordinate volunteer and fundraising operations.
Mad Genius Studios is at 121 Sweeten Creek Road. For more information on donating and volunteering, visit avl.mx/e79.
Southern Highland Craft Guild
With its Biltmore Village retail space decimated in Sept. 27 flooding from Tropical Storm Helene, Southern Highland Craft Guild announced Oct. 1 that its Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 17-20, is canceled.
Other upcoming events and activities planned by the organization are also canceled until further notice. All four Craft Guild shops are closed as well.
For updates and information on how to donate to support the Craft Guild’s recovery, visit avl.mx/e51.
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