By Gina Malone
In the months after Hurricane Helene, Kelsey Schissel, owner of Plays in Mud Pottery, found her creativity rooted in simplicity. She created functional pieces that could be used on a daily basis: bowls, plates, mugs. “There was something deeply comforting about the routine of making and the purpose behind each item,” she says. “It felt like I was slowly building back something solid and meaningful, one piece at a time. I also started experimenting with surface design in new ways, trying to capture memory and movement—layering images, textures and natural forms as a way to process the chaos and honor the resilience I witnessed around me.”
On Saturday, September 27, from 12–4 p.m., Plays in Mud Pottery will host Leaves of Strength, a community event inviting participants to create their own handmade symbol of resilience. “Using leaves, grasses and flowers found around Asheville, we’ll imprint the foliage into clay and shape it into a beautiful, functional plate,” Schissel says. The event is for ages 5 and up and thus offers families as well as friends and individuals a chance to share healing and creativity while continuing the forward movement that has been a hallmark of the Western North Carolina community since the storm and its devastation.
“It’s a chance for people to gather, create and reflect on how we’ve supported each other over the past year,” Schissel says. “There’s something powerful about shaping something with your own hands, especially in a shared space filled with conversation and remembrance. It’s a gentle, symbolic way to mark the transition from devastation to growth—to acknowledge that we’ve endured something hard, and we’re still here, still creating.”
Although the event is free and open to the public, pre-registration is required for scheduling purposes. Up to six people every 15 minutes will be welcomed into the studio for the activity.
“I wanted to create an event that commemorates the strength and resilience of our community, and offers a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come,” says Schissel. “We are stronger together. Plates carry symbolism—of nourishment, gathering and shared experience. We pass them around tables, fill them with stories and traditions. By pressing leaves and foliage into the surface of the clay, we’re capturing the life force of nature in a permanent, tangible way—a moment held in time. It’s both a tribute to growth and a shared act of remembering.”
Plays in Mud Pottery is located in West Asheville at 735C Haywood Road. Learn more and pre-register at PlaysInMud.com.
