Painter Kelcey Loomer used to have a studio on the second floor of Riverview Station in the River Arts District. During Tropical Storm Helene, the 700-square-foot space filled with 18 inches of water, and she lost about half of her paintings.
Loomer was still scrubbing mud off things when she was contacted by Bernadette Bender, co-owner of Bender Gallery downtown, with the idea of a group benefit show.
“Belonging is a central theme in my work, and the storm has certainly affected my sense of it,” says Loomer. “I feel profoundly moved by the way the RAD community of artists has come together in this time.”
Bender Gallery will host an opening reception 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, for its benefit exhibition Standing Strong. A direct response to the ongoing challenges faced by artists in the River Arts District, the show will run through Saturday, Jan. 25, featuring the work — mostly paintings — of 14 artists who were affected by the storm.
Participating artists are Annie Kyla Bennett, Elizabeth Porritt Carrington, Greg Carr, Heather Clements, Lissa Friedman, Linda Gritta, Amanda J. Kendrick, Kelcey Loomer, Daniel McClendon, Kasey Moran, Jodi O’Hara, Jeremy Phillips, Peter Roux and Jeff Snell.
The exhibit can be viewed online via the gallery’s website as well as in person. All proceeds from sales of artwork will go directly to the artists.
Additionally, several artists have donated work to support the benefit portion of the exhibition, including Laine Bachman, Michael Hedges and others. Proceeds from sales of their pieces will go to the River Arts District Artists (RADA) association’s fund to support area artists affected by Helene.
Facing the aftermath
With its downtown location, Bender Gallery was unharmed by the storm. But after witnessing the devastation faced by so many local creatives, Bender and her husband and gallery co-owner, Miles, felt compelled to organize the exhibition as a meaningful way to contribute to the Asheville arts community.
The show will feature art pieces created before Helene. “We curated work that we were attracted to and compelled by,” says Bernadette Bender. “We focused on figurative and representational work rather than abstract pieces, and we leaned toward showcasing younger artists.”
At least one artist exhibiting in Standing Strong had already lived through a natural disaster before experiencing Helene. In 2023, Heather Clements moved to Asheville from Panama City, Fla., to seek refuge after a hurricane destroyed her home. The occurrence completely shook up her artistic practice.
“I made no art for a year, for the first time in my life,” Clements recalls. “My art took on a focus of resilience and growing beauty out of unexpected — and often dark — places. This was absolutely influenced by the hurricane and my depression following it.”
Clements, whose murals, oil paintings and watercolors often draw from nature, says she was infused with a renewed sense of inspiration after finding solace in the mountains. After Helene wiped out her gallery and teaching studio on Lyman Street in the RAD, she’s looking to this exhibition to serve as a launching point to help her rebuild.
Although the work in “Standing Strong” predates the storm, the artists note Helene’s impact on their creative endeavors. “It was too major an event to not take a large part of my themes moving forward,” Clements says. “But I am already making art again, so I am hopeful and even looking forward to seeing what will be created out of this.”
Unlike Clements, fellow Standing Strong exhibitor Jeremy Phillips’ home and studio at Pink Dog Creative were left intact after the storm, albeit filled with mud. Philips has played a crucial role in the RAD’s recovery efforts, helping clean up damaged studios and supporting fellow artists.
A multimedia artist who works with ceramics, textiles and oil paints, he plans to capture aerial landscapes of the RAD in his upcoming works. “I have felt an even deeper connection to Asheville and WNC since Helene,” says Phillips.
Healing through art
Formed in 1985, the RAD eventually grew to include over 450 artists, making it a crucial driver of tourism and contributing to Asheville’s reputation as a creative regional hub. After Helene, with the majority of the neighborhood’s studios and galleries damaged or destroyed, countless artists have been left struggling.
Yet Phillips and Clements both point to the spirit of solidarity in Asheville’s art community as one of the greatest forces driving the recovery. Arts organizations like RADA have succeeded in leveraging the collaborative strength of local creatives, distributing donations and resources to support artists and help one another rebuild.
“It was no surprise to me that after Helene so many artists mobilized into a heightened community focus,” says Clements.
Area residents and arts boosters can help Asheville artists recover, she says, by offering them affordable spaces to rent, buying art and donating to RADA and other fundraisers. “Without extra support right now, I fear many art careers could end, which would just be so heartbreaking.”
Phillips agrees. “There is a lot of support right now in attending shows and buying work and keeping that energy alive by supporting creative work that is out in the public,” he says. “Attending shows and buying work is the best way to keep the scene thriving.”
In addition to offering participating artists a platform for marketing their work, Standing Strong serves as an essential reminder of the role art plays in recovery, both personal and communitywide.
“I anticipate my [future] work will reflect not only the physical and emotional impact of the storm but also the strength and creativity that have emerged in its wake,” Loomer says. “It’s a reminder that even in destruction, there’s space for rebuilding and reimagining, and I want my work to contribute to that dialogue.”
Bender says that she’s proud for Bender Gallery to be part of the overwhelming outpouring of support that RAD artists have received in the wake of the storm. “If people are looking to support the overall infrastructure of the arts community, we’re also accepting donations for the River Arts District Artists fund, which has been pivotal for many,” she adds.
WHAT: Standing Strong benefit exhibition, free admission
WHERE: 29 Biltmore Ave., avl.mx/eek
WHEN: Exhibition – Jan. 11-25, opening reception – 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11
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